


Take This Sinking Boat (And Point it Home)

by mariposaroja



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Don't read, F/M, Prompt Fill, Shamelessly filling my own prompt, Some angst?, eventually, if it's not your thing, obviously, pregnant!rey, reluctant!Luke, restoring the jedi population, rey is not a skywalker for the purposes of this fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-06
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2018-05-18 16:15:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 29,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5934789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariposaroja/pseuds/mariposaroja
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey and Luke are the last of the Jedi as far as they know, which makes for very <i>interesting</i> conversation. And there's a line that probably shouldn't be crossed...<br/>But then again, she's never really had to adhere to boundaries. So why start now?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this (my own) prompt on tfa kink: "Luke and Rey are the last remaining Jedi and since the Jedi actually becoming extinct would be disastrous, they have to reproduce as a baby with two incredibly force sensitive parents would undoubtedly be a Jedi..."
> 
> So... yeah. I've been working on this for over a week so I decided to post the first installment instead of posting it all as one as I had originally planned. I'm mildly apologetic. And I'm probably going to hell... 
> 
> I would like to take this moment to reiterate that, for the purposes of this fic, REY IS NOT A SKYWALKER. AT ALL. I'm using the principle of omnia praesumuntur legitime facta donec probetur in contrarium. Or, innocent until proven guilty ;)

They want her- the First Order. That's plain for anyone to see. She who had taken on Kylo Ren and lived to tell the tale. She who could match him blow for blow. She who could break down his carefully and thoroughly erected barriers. Rey is no novelty and both sides, light and dark, know it. It’s also just as evident that Snoke will stop at nothing to win her, to have her amongst his ranks.

She would rather die.

She finds herself discussing the matter with Luke one night, land pitch black around them save for the crackling fire that separates them. That's when he mentions… _it_ in passing, as if it were nothing more than a minor detail. She isn’t willing to let it go so easily.

“Excuse me?” Making no attempt to mask the horror in her voice, Rey cuts right across him, watching as his brow furrows in confusion.

“Ben, he’s vulnerable. Always has been.”

“No, not… not that. What you said a minute ago, that Snoke wants me to…” She can’t even finish that sentence but she's confident that she doesn’t need to, that he will understand.

 _Ah._ Nodding slowly, not at all surprised that she would pick up on that, Luke struggles to find a way to put it as delicately as possible, because it seems impossible to think of a subject that is more _delicate_. “Snoke doesn’t just want you for your force abilities,” he explains, drawing it out, “I had thought myself to be the last of the Jedi and, miraculously, I was mistaken, The Dark side… they find themselves in the same position. Not only does Snoke want to outnumber the Jedi by acquiring you, and probably disposing of me; he wants to make sure that the line does not finish with you and Ren. He wants the darkness to live on, to… multiply.”

She struggles to find her voice for a moment but Master Luke is patient, he allows her all the time she needs. “But… the force would run in any… _offspring_ of Ren’s, the mother doesn’t need to be force-sensitive too.” Surely if Rey did fall to the Dark side, which would never happen, there would be more to be said for breeding her with someone else, the same with him, to create a greater gene pool. Bile begins to rise in her throat at the thought of bearing _his_ , that monster’s children.

“It would. But Snoke could not resist the chance to produce a child that would be so strong in the force that, with the right guidance, could become the most powerful being the Galaxy has ever seen. And that is exactly what yours and Kylo Ren’s child- children- would be. A child like that could destroy the Light forever. So, as you can see, it is imperative that Snoke- or Ren- not get his hands on you.”

Wrinkling up her nose in disgust, blood now pounding in her veins as anger floods through her, Rey sits up straight. “No, I’d take my own life before I gave birth to a monster like that.”

Smiling sadly, Luke folds his arms loosely across his chest. “I don’t doubt it. Hopefully it won’t come to that.”

“What about us? The Jedi?” She asks after a moment, curiosity getting the better of her, “Will there be more?”

“There were more,” he answers, and for the first time Rey can really hear the bitterness in his voice, the disgust, “Ren saw to that, however; drove us nearly into extinction. The short answer is: I don’t know. Should you choose to become a mother someday, the line will most certainly continue. If not… we will see.”

There’s no doubt in her mind that he is merely stating a fact, not intending to put any pressure on her. It is how it is, there’s no point denying it. Rey finds it hard to contemplate trusting someone enough, loving them enough, to want them to give her a child, maybe more than one. Her mind immediately wanders to Finn, whom she had bonded with in a way she had never done with any other human being. She loves him, if not romantically (though she isn’t really sure she knows what the word means)… enough that the thought of bearing his child didn’t make her sick. But Finn had already found his person in Poe and, although neither would probably outwardly mind so much given what was at stake, she doesn’t want to do that to them.

Then something occurs to her. She looks up, head tilted as she observes her Master, wondering if it had crossed his mind too… “What you said about… that child; would then result be the same if both parents were of the Light side?”

Despite his usually unwavering control over his emotions, Luke’s eyes widen in shock as he quickly realises what she’s inferring, what she’s asking. “Yes,” he regains control of his voice enough to answer, “Jedi aren’t supposed to form attachments so it’s never happened before- not with two force-sensitive parents at least- but, theoretically, yes.”

Body tensing, though she’s not entirely sure why, Rey pulls her knees against her chest, chewing pensively on her bottom lip. She doesn’t know why she asked that question, what she’s planning on doing with that information. Her stomach flips as she mulls over his answer once again but, well, the thought of _that_ doesn’t disgust her at all in comparison to the thought of bearing _Kylo Ren’s_ child does. Regardless, she thinks she would rather not.

“So that means I should…”

Eyes narrowing, Luke’s lips press into a hard line. “You’re not an animal to be bred, Rey. You have more to offer the galaxy than just that.”

She nods, feeling as if a weight has been lifted off her chest at his response, words clearly sincere. Rey says no more on the matter, changing the subject once her mind is clear enough to say something that isn’t completely unintelligent.

She gets very little sleep that night.

And neither does he.

 

Days go by without another word said on the matter but Rey doesn’t forget. She mulls it over in her mind, sifts through the possibilities, weighs up the consequences…

Realises what’s at stake.

They’re eating out in the open, just like the last time, when she broaches the subject again. It’s an evening so similar that it could as well have been a continuation of _that_ night. Taking a deep breath, she tries to steady herself, sure that he can sense her discomfort but is too polite to bring it up before she’s ready to talk about it. Rey feels incredibly thankful for that because _this_ is something she needs to do on her own terms.

“Master?”

“Yes, Rey?”

“I’ve been… thinking about it, what we spoke of a couple of days ago…” She decides she must be crazy for bringing it up again, if she is so be it. Heart beginning to thrum against her ribs, her hand fists at the coarse material of her clothes. “I think it’s… a good idea.”

Luke inhales so sharply that he’s sure it’s clearly audible to her. Not for a moment had he been under the illusion that she had forgotten about it, but this? He can’t believe what he’s hearing. “Rey…” he exhales, voice shaky, “You don’t understand what you’re saying.”

For some strange reason, that only serves to give her more confidence. “I do, Master. The future of the Jedi depends on this- depends on _us_. If what you say is true, we can possibly bring an end to the darkness altogether. We can use Snoke’s own plan against him.”

“It’s too much of a burden for one person to bear. The fate of the galaxy should not rest solely upon your shoulders.”

“It’s not just me,” she reminds him, “it’s you too.”

 _Yes, it’s me too_ , he thinks, rather cynically, to himself. He wonders if it’s the prolonged period of self-imposed solitude alone that’s even allowing him to consider this. “I’m too old, you need to do this with someone more suited to you, that’s better for you.”

“They wouldn’t be a Jedi. You say I’m more powerful than Kylo Ren; well you are too. Our… child would be so strong with the force it could put an end to all of this.”

Trying to hide the jolt he felt at her use of the word ‘child’, Luke closes his eyes, trying desperately to keep himself grounded. “Rey… you don’t want to have my child.”

“You’re wrong,” Rey tells him with an air of defiance that can only remind him of Leia and he wonders when exactly she’d become so convinced, how long she had been contemplating this, “I’m telling you what I want. Do you think I would have brought this up if I wasn’t sure?”

She sounds sure, Luke can’t deny that, and that’s what gets to him more than anything. It’s impossible to shake the feeling that it would be taking advantage, that she’s innocent and vulnerable and confused. That he would ruin her if he did this. He fears she would change her mind and this wasn’t exactly something that was easily undone. “Rey…” Luke tries to be mindful, to keep his mind on the right track but his resolve isn’t as strong as he would like- it’s killing him; for every good reason to do this there are several better reasons not to.

“Luke,” she replies firmly, determined, “I want you to give me a baby. If you don’t want to…” a blush begins to creep across her cheeks and she finds herself having to clear her throat, “Just once will be enough, I won’t ask for more than that.”

Exhaling sharply, he looks straight at the fire, wondering how exactly she’d managed to unravel him like this. It’s his own fault, he thinks, he had been the one who had brought up Snoke’s plan, thought she had a right to know.

_Kylo._

It’s only then that he realises that his competitor, _per se_ , is his nephew and feels even dirtier than he thought possible. But what would happen if they found her? If they took her? Having one’s mind violated was despicable enough, one’s body was a completely different story. It leaves scars that would never heal. Mind already swimming, he knows that he can’t make a decision on this right now, he really needs to think about it.

Her hazel eyes, almost black in the dim light, grow even more hopeful when he sighs softly, folding his arms across his chest.

“I’m not- I can’t give you an answer right now, I’m sorry.”

It’s not a flat rejection, which is admittedly what she had been expecting, and she’s thankful that he remained delicate even if she’s sure of what that answer will inevitably be. Even if it doesn’t work, she still has to try…


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So glad you all seemed to like the first chapter! Hope you enjoy this one too :)

They see less of each other than they usually do over the next couple of days, not that you can really hide when there’s only two people on the whole of the island. They continue to train (Rey swears she sees him rapidly averting his eyes when she looks in his direction) but outside of that and eating, they try their best to give each other some space.

On the fifth day, she steps out of the hut, meeting him in the doorway. Smiling softly, if bashfully, she takes a step to the left, intent on heading for the shore to watch the large fish that sometimes appeared above the surface of the water, something she’d quickly become fond of after arriving on the island. Rey figures he probably wants some time to himself anyway.

Only, when she goes to move, his bionic hand reaches out and grasps her wrist, causing her to stop dead in her tracks. Though he remains silent for a moment, Rey can tell from the torn look on his face what this is about. Eyebrows raised, she observes him just as silently, heart beginning to beat rapidly in her chest as his blue eyes practically stare right through to her soul. Luke gives a small nod, so small she could have easily missed it had all her attention not been focused on him, the corners of his mouth twitching as if a smile is threatening to break through and Rey almost laughs, because she’d done it, she’d managed to convince him.

His grip loosens around her wrist and Rey takes the opportunity to tangle their fingers, the smooth metal surprisingly warm against her skin. Before her courage has a chance to leave her, she takes a step forward, only mere inches now separating them. But it isn’t for too long.

Taking initiative, Rey inhales deeply, watching confusion in Luke’s eyes become shock when she closes the distance between them completely until their lips are touching, both too surprised by the flutter in sends through them to do anything but remain there, eyes loosely closed as they breathe each other’s breath until Luke musters up the courage to cup her cheek with his left hand, the softness of her skin beneath his fingertips almost unreal. His lips begin to move softly, slowly, against hers, acknowledging that there’s a good chance she hasn’t done this before. He knows only too well what it’s like on a god forsaken desert planet.

Her response is a lot more than he expects, and he’s left wondering how he’s found himself being pulled along by her until her lips part and she’s kissing him with a force that he can hardly remember ever experiencing at this stage. It’s clumsy and probably wholly inelegant and Luke feels like he should run, that this is a mistake, that he’s pushing closer and closer towards the point of no return… Except he can’t he can’t physically tear himself away from her, doesn’t want to. His lips part in time with hers and he finds himself lucky enough to taste the sweetness of her mouth, his tongue ghosting over the inside of her bottom lip. What strikes him the most is that it doesn’t feel half as wrong as he’d expected, not even close.

Her mouth becomes greedy and he feels her pushing for more; there’s no reason he shouldn’t give it to her, given the decision they’d come to together, what they are planning to do. Luke’s in no rush, they have all the time in the world as far as he’s concerned, and by no means does he want to rush her into anything. Although, it seems that she doesn’t need his protection, if her enthusiasm is anything to go by. Rey stills, taking a moment to catch her breath, to calm down a little lest her heart give out completely. He’s so warm, his body now pressed against hers, and she realises that she’s never felt more secure in her entire life, despite her inexperience. There in his arms she feels _safe_. “Luke…”

Her voice is so soft, so faint that Luke wonders for a moment if his name had actually fallen from her lips or if he’s heard it through the force. The tickle of her breath against his cheek, sending shivers down his spine, answers that question for him. One hand beneath her chin, Luke brings her gaze back to meet his once again and finds that they are smouldering in a way that is so unfamiliar that it startles him, the clear longing not something he was expecting to see. “Rey…”

“Now. _Please_.”

“Okay.”

 

She’s even more beautiful like this, spread out beneath him, than he could have possibly imagined, despite the fact that he makes a conscious decision to not let his eyes wander too much, fearing that wasn’t within the parameters of their… agreement. Rey, on the other hand, doesn’t seem too worried about _that_. Her eyes are wide with wonder and for a minute Luke wonders if it’s the act itself that has spurred this on, her curiosity, and not her desire to have a child.

All capacity to think logically quickly leaves him, however, and he’s only left with the ability to _feel_ \- and feeling seems so unbelievably easy with her. She responds beautifully to his every touch, every movement, so much so that he becomes lost in her. Everything Rey does pushes him closer and closer; every time his name falls from her lips, every time those lips move against his…

It’s over far too quickly; she reaches her peak first, dragging him unrepentantly over the cliff with her until they’re just left panting, a mess of tangled limbs. Luke remains where he is for a moment or two until his legs no longer feel like jelly, the sated smile on her face enough to ward off the potential guilt, if just for a little while.

“What do I do now?”

He knows exactly what she’s referring to; what will ensure that she will fall pregnant. “You don’t need to do anything, just… stay where you are.”

A grin quickly spreads across her face and Luke finds himself smiling along with her. Biting her lip, her eyes lower momentarily as she absentmindedly scratches at her arm, just for something to do with her hand. “Do you need to go?”

“Do you want me to go?”

“No.” _Not at all._

“Then I’ll stay.”

As Luke lies awake that night, his padawan curled against his side, he wonders if Snoke, if _Ben_ will be able to sense it, the child that would most likely result from this. Chances are they will and he knows it’s now more important than ever to protect Rey from them, to keep her and their child safe.

 

When it happens again, not two days later, they’re sure it’s under the guise of bettering their chances of conceiving although, if they’re both honest, it’s about a little more than that. The act, the intimacy, is something of a comfort- as if they’re at their best, their lightest when they’re together, each kiss, each caress strengthening the connection they had established.

There’s still a job to be done, ways of the force to be learned, however and they’re careful to separate training and… whatever else they were doing. Rey’s lessons move more swiftly, since it’s likely that she is already pregnant. Luke goes easier on her, despite knowing that she of all people would be up to the challenge, fearing that her over-exerting herself would be detrimental to her health. Either way, he doesn’t want to take the chance. If she senses he’s holding back in any way, she certainly doesn’t say anything.

The more the weeks go on, the more Rey finds herself crawling into bed with him- finding comfort in him, finding contentment in him. It’s only when she’s lying with her back pressed against his stomach and chest one mild night that she realises that they’d muddled things up, that they are no longer just Master and Padawan. That the lines between what they are and are not are blurred so much that they are practically no longer existent, they’d forged a bond that is almost impossible to label. Or maybe they just prefer to remain ignorant.

And it frightens her as much as it makes her happy; Rey has never existed in such close proximity to someone before, let them see so much of her- body and soul. Perhaps the most baffling part is that it feels nice, it feels very _nice_.

“Luke?”

“Hmm?” His breath tickles the back of her neck, arm draped loosely over her hip.

“You and General Organa are twins… do twins run in the family?”

He helpless to keep from chuckling at the question and he doesn’t have to be looking at her to know that she’s smiling along with him. “It’s possible,” Luke muses, “Leia didn’t have twins but I guess there’s always a chance.”

“Would you like twins?”

A shiver runs down his spine at the innocence, the nonchalance of the question. The most shocking part is that it doesn’t feel misplaced, it feels natural and he begins to worry he’s in out of his depth. It doesn’t matter, he quickly decides, it’s far too late to be worry about that; what was done, both physically and emotionally, could not be undone. So he indulges himself for once in his life and hopes the consequences won’t be too bad.

“Yeah, I think I would.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you!! I hope you don't mind the way I'm writing this... it's not going to be the usual length of my multichapters so it's a bit jumpy :/

Both Luke and Rey have their suspicions, can sense something different about her, but it’s not until over two weeks after they were last intimate that her pregnancy is all but confirmed when she fails to bleed. Of course, she had missed bloods before when she was incredibly malnourished (which Luke assures her is normal) but this time… this time she knows it’s different. She’d never been healthier than she is now and, well, that coupled with the acts she and Luke had been engaging in pretty much makes her carrying a child a certainty.

Joy floods through her, permeating every cell in her body and she has to find Luke, seeking him out immediately because they’d done it, the Jedi would live on as long as their child did. Of course, he already knows, is already coming to her when she goes in search of him. He looks happy, if not as outwardly so as she, but Rey can feel it, feel his aura, and knows that he appreciates the significance of this moment. Despite herself, she finds herself smiling bashfully when she finally comes face to face with him. In a moment of bizarre self-consciousness she averts her gaze, eyes finding a particularly interesting spot on the ground.

She’s well aware that it makes no sense given how they’d gotten here but being face to face with Luke feels almost too intimate. She can’t find words to explain it, nor does she know what it means. It just… is what it is.

“Congratulations, Rey,” his says softly and it’s enough to warrant bringing her gaze back to his.

“You shouldn’t be congratulating me… You’re the one who did all the work if I remember correctly,” Rey doesn’t hesitate to remind him, smiling knowingly.

Thankfully, he appears to be rather amused by her wit, the smile she receives in response to that filling her with warmth. “It was a joint effort,” he concedes, hesitating for a moment, “We should talk about your training…” She knows that is going to be an issue and nods gently, allowing him to continue. “You must continue learning the ways of the Force- you are far from finished- but that training will no longer happen here.”

Smile faltering for once, confusion mixed with dread floods through her. For a moment she feels as if she’s going to be ill, thinks she needs to sit down. “No, you can’t send me away-“

“Rey, I’m not sending you anywhere. Like I said, you need to improve you skills. But you also need medical attention; with the… baby now in the picture, remaining her is no longer a viable option.”

“But you’re coming?”

He exhales a laugh. “Of course. I’m not going to send you back to my sister pregnant and not explain a thing. And who else would complete your training?”

Biting her lip, Rey tries to swallow the shame she feels for even asking that question. He is her Master, she his Padawan; of course he would accompany her. But not only that, he’s also the father of her child. He had held her at night when she wanted him to, he had made love to her a couple of times…

They’d made this decision, taken this path together. And that bound them in ways that science could not explain. “Then we go.”

 

The journey to D’Qar is fraught with tension despite both their best efforts to keep their emotions in check. After the decision to leave had been made, they had waited another week, using the excuse of vital training that could not wait to enable their procrastination. It’s unclear what awaits them back on the Resistance base; Leia will surely be delighted to see her brother her again after all these years who knows how that will change when she learns of their news. Will she be disgusted? Will she think it a betrayal? Will she assume that the time spent on the island training was just a ruse, that they spent the whole time engaged in acts of debauchery?

Rey’s sure the panic is emanating from her in waves, it must be as she soon feels a hand on her shoulder, feels Luke’s calming presence. Suddenly, she feels like she can breathe again. Funny how she has come to associate serenity with him, comfort with him. _Safety_ with him.

“Don’t worry about my sister. Let me take care of that.”

 _‘Cause it’s not going to be awkward when I’m waddling around, heavily pregnant with her brother’s baby_ , she thinks, rather sarcastically, to herself. Her shields must be fully down because Luke laughs along with that. The light she sees when she looks right into his blue eyes causes even more of her worry to vanish, so much so that she finds herself smiling again. “It’s true.”

“She’ll understand, Rey. She might kill me but I think you’re safe.”

Wincing involuntarily at that, her smile falters once again. It’s just a joke, she knows he’s got a good sense of humour- when she finally managed to delve through the pain, the remorse, that had only been too evident- and it’s something she loves about him but those wounds… they are just too fresh.

Luke obviously senses that too but says nothing more, simply reaches out to place his hand over hers; the mourning she still feels for Han coupled with the fear she feels for Luke himself, for her child, is also shared by him. He’s finding it increasingly difficult to separate her emotions from his, he feels almost everything she feels; fear, joy… love. At worst, it’s debilitating. At best, it’s exhilarating. So he uses that touch to reassure her, as best he can given the uncertainty of the galaxy, that n matter what he’ll be there to guide her.

He knows it’s not enough.

 

The material of her clothes does wonders to hide the little bump that now protrudes between her hips. It’s naturally forgiving, doesn’t give anything away unless you are to look very closely. The belt that ties around her waist, on the other hand, is the opposite. No matter how she tries to strategically place it, it draws attention to her abdomen, exaggerating the swell of her stomach to the point where she looks far bigger than she actually is.

She wonders if it is only obvious to herself and Luke, who know what to look for, while to others it would look like she’d just gained a bit of weight. Neither of them expects to be able to keep the child she’s carrying a secret for too long but Rey decides that it would be nice to get off the ship in D’Qar and not have everyone gawking at her pregnant self, all wondering exactly how and when _that_ happened.

After spending what seems like hours trying to adjust herself (is she crazy or have her breasts gotten bigger too), Rey huffs and gives up, settling into the co-pilot’s seat once again just as they’re beginning their approach on D’Qar. Her frown quickly disappears, however, when she’s hit by a strong burst of emotions, the corners of her mouth tugging upwards instinctively as she looks to Luke, his expression confirming that he’s feeling it too. It feels like molten gold coursing through her veins- so pure, not burning just… warming, illuminating, and she doesn’t pretend for a moment that she only feels it because she’s trained now while she had been wholly unskilled before.

It’s Leia, they can both feel her, and Rey has to take a deep breath for a moment because _wow_. It’s only then that she fully appreciates just how strong with the Force the General is, that she could be as powerful as Luke if she had only wanted to develop her abilities. She probably shouldn’t be surprised.

Saying nothing (not that there’s anything that can possibly be said), Rey watches Like carefully, her own cheeks beginning to ache as she sees how whole he looks, how much younger. The most striking thing is that it resembles how he looks at her sometimes and she finds herself wondering if he realises, if he’s conscious of it.

Taking their time killing the engines once they’re safely in the hangar on base, crowds already gathering to undoubtedly catch a glimpse of the legendary Luke Skywalker, the use the minute or so they have to gather themselves, to prepare for what they’re about to be met with. Sensing his unease at the sheer number of people, given it had only been him for years and Rey showing up had been a massive change in itself, Rey tangles their fingers together, feeling his anxiety slowly dissipate in time with the squeeze he gives her hand.

As the hatch opens and they prepare to dismount, she laughs, smile cutting her face in half as she instantly spots Finn. He’s almost bouncing on the spot and she strongly suspects that the grip Poe seems to have on his hand is the only thing keeping him where he is. Giving the two men a brief wave, her eyes quickly fall on the most important person: all five foot one inch of Leia Organa, BB-8 at her heel, waiting to greet them.

Rey gets that warm feeling again, only now it’s so pure that it almost burns, intensifying as she runs and throws her arms around her brother, Luke letting out and exaggerated huff for humour’s sake but Rey isn’t fooled, she can feel how much this moment means to him, to the both of them and she’s sure she’s never seen anything so beautiful in her life.

After a moment, Leia steps back, one hand still firmly on her twin’s arms as if she’s afraid he’s just going to disappear again, and proceeds to hit him with the other- hard. “I’m so mad at you!” she huffs but her smile gives her away, her chocolate eyes now full and glassy. Drawing her back into his arms, all traces of amusement now from his face, Luke holds her extra close, as tight as he can without hurting her.

“I’m sorry.”

Hus words are no more than a whisper against her ear and he’s sure Leia realises that he’d do it again, that it was what he needed to do and wouldn’t change it. Perhaps, he finds, the only think he would change is not seeing Han; whom he’d been through more than was imaginable with, who was like a brother to him, one last time.

“I know,” she replied and she really does understand, even if she doesn’t like it. Remaining where she is for a little while longer, the General then realises her brother and turns to the woman by his side, the person to whom she owed more than words could ever describe. “Rey,” Leia smiles and it reminds Rey so much of Luke that she almost can’t believe it, pulling the younger woman into a hug. “Thank you.”

Rey is about to assure her that there’s no need for thanks but doesn’t get the chance, her heart beginning to pound as Leia noticeably freezes, slowly retreating and the Padawan cringes when she sees the blank expression on the General’s face.

“Leia-“

“You two,” she says firmly, emotionlessly, “My office.”

Finn looks as if he’s about to protest that he hasn’t had a chance to see his friend properly bu the ‘now!’ Leia almost shouts prompts him to take a step back, unsure of whether or not he should be comforted by the fact that Poe looks just as baffled as he does.

Rey turns her gaze away, trying her best to just breathe. Without the ability to reach out and take Luke’s hand, she feels like she’s going to drown.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one isn't my favourite so I'm sorry :/

“I can feel it.”

Rey has barely closed the door of the General’s office when Leia speaks again, voice harsh and accusatory, and she cringes, risking a glance at Luke who seemed to be the most composed of the three of them.

“I thought you might.” That’s it, _that’s_ his reply. Rey’s jaw falls open, eyes narrowing.

Looking equally flummoxed by the non-chalance of her brother’s statement, Leia crosses her arms, standing poker straight. Jaw set tight, she looks like she’s getting a stress headache. “You let him get to her. You let him do this to her.”

Brow furrowing in confusion, Rey stares at the General for a moment, trying to decipher the meaning in her words until it hits her, her stomach twisting oddly. She meets Luke’s gaze for the briefest of moments and it’s clear that he’s come to the same conclusion as she. Neither of them had even contemplated the possibility that Leia would sense the familial bond… and misinterpret it.

“Leia,” Luke begins, taking another step towards his twin, “I didn’t let anyone get to her. What you sense… it’s not Ben’s.”

 _Not Ben’s_. Rey sees the cogs turning in the General’s mind, the wave of shock that rolls off of her when she finally puts two and two together prompting her to adjust her position so that she and Luke are only inches apart. Without saying a word, she reaches out, loosely taking his hand in hers. She’s not sure it’s for reassurance or an attempt to remove all possible doubt.

Leia says nothing for a moment, her blank expression the showing no hint of a reaction, obviously trying hard to process the fact that what she had assumed to be her grandchild was actually her niece or nephew.

“You didn’t.”

The abruptness of the words startles Rey and she holds her breath, hoping- praying- that this isn’t going to take a turn for the worst. Anxiety beginning to get the better of her, she places her free hand over the slight swell of her stomach, seeking comfort from her unborn child. It helps.

“There’s no need for you to worry,” she assures the older woman before Luke manages to say a word, “We’ve done something good. Not only will the Jedi live on, this child has the potential to destroy the Dark side.”

“No need to worry? This is crazy! _You_ ,” Leia points dramatically at her brother, “You should know better than this. She’s just a child, what on earth possessed you to-“

“I wasn’t expecting you to understand right away but both Rey and I were well aware what we were getting ourselves into with this- by _doing_ this.”

“You’re right, I don’t understand at all. You’re old enough to be her _father_.”

Rey finds herself getting a lot more defensive than she would have thought at Leia’s words, eyes and words full of determination. “That doesn’t make a difference. I’m… I know exactly what I’m doing, why I’m doing it. The choice is mine and I made it. It’s my body and it’s my baby- _our_ baby. If you don’t approve, fine. There’s not much that can be done now. But you two haven’t seen each other in years, your focus should be on that, not this.”

While his twin sister looks torn between being shocked and impressed by the girl’s words, Luke looks more proud (if slightly amused) than anything. Rey really can’t help the flutter she feels at that. Those flutters were becoming all too common these days.

“She’s right. Why don’t we let Rey see her friends before they break down the door and you and I can have a… discussion.”

Rey thinks she should probably be wary of that, but for the fact that she trusts him unconditionally.

Sighing, Leia eventually nods reluctantly. “Okay, Rey. You can go see Finn and Poe. I’m sure their patience is wearing by the second.”

Looking between the two siblings momentarily, the corners of her mouth tug upwards at the one last tight squeeze of her hand she receives from him before she exits the room, leaving them alone.

“So…” Leia begins, delicate eyebrow arched, “Are you in the habit of impregnating your students these days?”

 

“Rey!”

She’s barely left General Organa’s office when she finds herself wrapped up in Finn’s embrace. To be honest, Rey isn’t at all surprised to find her best friend and Poe loitering in the hallway. How much, if anything, they heard she doesn’t know. “

“Finn!” her grin is by no means forced as she squeezes him back, “It’s so good to see you. I’ve missed you so much.”

“He has too, believe me!” Poe chimes in, all charm and bright smiles as usual, and Finn begrudgingly makes way for his boyfriend to get his own hug in. “Good to see you again. So does this mean you’re here to stay?”

“You too. And yes, Ma- Luke and I are here to stay. Well,” she chuckles, “for as long as you’ll have us anyway.” _Speaking of which…_ Heart now thumping once again, Rey crosses her arms over her chest, hoping it will keep their eyes directed away from her abdomen. _Stay calm, stay calm._ “Actually, is there somewhere private we can go? I have some news…”

 

“You assumed immediately that it was his… you know Snoke’s plan.”

Scoffing, Leia throws her hands up. “Well I can guess. The potential is too much for him to ignore.”

“Exactly. Rey asked me if the same principle would apply with two parents of the Light side. I told her it would, of course.”

“It didn’t have to be you.”

Frowning, Luke chuckles humourlessly, not understanding her logic. “If not me then who? I told her that none of this is her responsibility- that she never had to reproduce if she didn’t want to. Rey wanted- _wants_ \- this child. She convinced _me_ to go along with her plan.”

Arching an eyebrow, Leia remains silent for a moment and, in his experience, that never spells anything good. “Are you sure she wanted to do it for the greater good?”

Narrowing his eyes, he resists the urge to grimace. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It _means_ that she was abandoned when she was a child, she probably doesn’t remember what having a family is like. And you two were alone for quite a while… I think the ‘plan’ is a secondary motive.”

He sees where she’s coming from. It makes sense, it really does and, to be perfectly honest, he’s never been entirely sure of her motives himself. But that doesn’t mean it’s not good, that doesn’t mean it’s not for the greater good.

“What’s done is done. She’s happy to have the child. There’s nothing more to say.”

Again, his twin casts him a knowing look, shaking her head softly to herself. “You didn’t just act as a fertiliser, I hope you know that.”

Yes, somehow he thinks he’s known that all along.

 

 _Just spit it out, Rey_ , she tells herself, _they’re waiting._ Laughing, she shakes her head at the absurdity of the situation, never imagining in a million years that she would have to do this. Resisting the urge to cradle her stomach, Rey nods ever so slightly to herself, purely for her own reassurance as Finn and Poe continue to observe her, expectantly, from the other end of the couch.

“I’m having a baby.” There, she said it. Done. All out in the open.

Finn’s jaw falls open so dramatically that it’s almost audible, eyes looking as if they’re going to pop out of his head. His other half, on the other hand, is the opposite; a grin quickly spreads across Poe’s face, dark eyes crinkling as a noise that closely resembles a _squeal_ escapes him,

“That’s fantastic! Congratulations,” he gushes, moving to embrace her as his eyes linger on her now obviously pregnant stomach. She gives him her thanks, very much grateful that she at least has the pilot’s support but is more focused on Finn’s reaction than anything. He looks completely bewildered, perplexed, as if not one bit of what she had just said makes sense.

“A _baby_?”

Well, at least it’s something. Nodding, Rey places her palm flat against her stomach. “A baby. I’m pregnant.”

“Wha- _What_? How?! Who’s the father??”

Chuckling, clearly too amused by the situation, Poe’s hand comes to rest on the other man’s shoulder. “Finn, you see when a man and a woman-“

“Do _not_ give me the talk, Dameron!” He glares and Poe quickly retracts his hand, surrendering, even if the amusement never leaves his face. “It’s one of those force babies, right? Like Anakin Skywalker?”

“No, my baby has a father…”

And then it clicks for him (although if he’s honest he’s probably known this whole time, just unwilling to admit it to himself). He looks like he’s going to have a heart attack, veins bulging and everything, and for a moment Rey wonders if maybe they’ll have to bring him to the medical bay. “You- _him_?! You! – And him! Rey!”

Cringing at that, she grimaces. “By ‘him’ you mean Luke.”

“Yes! Him, Luke, whatever. Are you out of your _mind_? Was it really that lonely on the island?”

“Finn…” Poe warns him, wincing at those words himself. His smile has now faded, to the point that he actually looks sad.

Her cheeks become warm, red, but it’s not out of embarrassment. She needs to get a hold of her emotions, Rey knows that, but he hit a nerve and he hit it hard. “Do you know why Snoke wants me?” Once again Finn looks bewildered so she takes that as her cue to continue. “He wants to breed me. With Kylo Ren.”

Feeling bile begin to rise in his throat, Finn shakes his head. “We’d never allow that to happen.”

“There’s nothing you or anyone could do. They want me to create a successor, one so powerful that everyone in the Galaxy will fear it, so that the Dark will live on… grow. We- Luke and I- decided to play them at their own game. This… this child isn’t a consequence, it’s the goal.”

“So did you two… did you,” he makes a gesture that Rey’s not sure anyone would understand, but she can guess the meaning, “or did you do some force thing?”

Poe groans, dragging his palm over his face while Rey tries not to be too affronted by the intimacy of that question. “I slept with him,” she says plainly, without any hesitation, almost relishing how Finn squirms- unlike Poe who almost looks proud- “And that’s all you get to ask. So please try not to get really weird about this because it happened, it is happening. Either be happy or bite your tongue.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took so long! I had a busy couple of days. Enjoy and thank you again!

She doesn’t see Luke for most of the day, which is probably a natural consequence of his being out of the loop for decades at a time. It’s the strangest sensation, being surrounded by hundreds of people once again when she had grown so used to it just being the two of them. And the fact that Rey has no idea where Luke is, what he’s doing, sets her ill at ease. Although, she has Finn and Poe to distract her, even if Finn still finds it hard to look directly at her and Poe… well, Poe is the opposite.

BB-8 is a happy medium, a breath of fresh air. She’s not sure if BB-8 knows what babies and pregnancy are and, either way, she doesn’t think it would care. It’s most definitely a welcome change.

Poe introduces her to the rest of the pilots, invites her to have lunch with them. Rey accepts, of course, and her nerves begin to melt away; for just a little while she feels normal, just like she did before she realised, reluctantly, that the Force runs in her. Save the questions they ask about her training, about Luke, it almost feels like it did before Takodana.

They’re in the canteen for far longer than is probably necessary (the pilots obviously have nothing better to do) when BB-8 begins to chirp animatedly, rolling towards someone behind her back, a presence that feels familiar.

“I know, Beebee. She’s back.”

Turning in her seat, Rey sees General Organa standing there, alone, and fights the urge to swallow hard. She shouldn’t fear Leia, she knows that, it’s just she can’t help but feel like a child that is on the cusp of being chastised. “Rey, I was wondering if I could speak to you for a couple of minutes?”

What can she say to that? No? Highly unlikely since it’s kind of important that Luke’s sister, his _twin_ , like her. So Rey nods, putting on a smile as she replies with a bright ‘of course’, excusing herself from the table.

“He’s with Admiral Ackbar, I managed to slip out for a while,” Leia informs the young girl, answering a question that hasn’t even been asked as they exit the mess hall and enter into one of the long, narrow corridors.

“I didn’t…”

“You wanted to know, I could sense it. Don’t be afraid to ask. This way,” placing her hand on Rey’s forearm, she leads her into an even smaller corridor, one that certainly isn’t familiar.  

“Are we not going to your office?”

Wincing at the wave of emotion that rolls off Rey, something that is so familiar despite not having felt it herself in decades, Leia smiles softly, reassuringly. “My office is currently occupied. Please don’t worry, Rey; no harm will come to your child.”

She’s not surprised; of course Leia can sense her anxiety. It’s almost embarrassing. What does she expect? That Leia will hold her down and harm her unborn child? Leia who is so maternal despite being betrayed, abandoned by her only son. Even if she wasn’t, it’s still the General’s niece or nephew that she’s carrying, her twin brother’s child- _Luke’s_ child.

“I didn’t-“

“It’s okay,” the older woman assures her, turning to face the younger woman. Reaching out for both of Rey’s hands, she gives them a firm squeeze. “It’s okay, I understand your reluctance, Rey. I wasn’t exactly very gracious when you arrived. I’m sorry, it was a big shock. Which is why I want to speak to you.” Swiping her palm over the sensor on the wall, the door swishes open and Leia gestures for her to go ahead. Rey does what she’s told, now feeling at least like everything’s going to be alright, that maybe Luke had been right after all. Which probably shouldn’t have surprised her.

The room is basic, very much in keeping with the rest of the best. Except there’s something homely about this particular room that Rey can’t quite put her finger on. Maybe it’s the picture of herself and Han, looking happier than she’d ever had the pleasure of seeing them that’s nailed to the wall. Maybe it’s the face-down frame that adorns the desk (she can only imagine whose image that contains). Maybe it’s the flowers, wilting ever so slightly, that occupy a plain glass vase on the locker next to the unassuming single bed. For some reason, though completely different, it reminds Rey of her home (if you could call it that) on Jakku.

“I bet Ahch- To was prettier,” Leia says plainly, quietly as the door slides shut behind her.

Ceasing her probably impolite inspection of the place, her cheeks flush as she looks back to the older woman. “It was beautiful.”

 _I’m sure it was_. “Rey, I really am truly sorry for the way I treated you. I hope you know that it wasn’t anything you did… It was Luke, he shouldn’t have done this to you- you shouldn’t have to deal with something like this so early in your life,”

“With all due respect, General, he didn’t do anything to me that I didn’t want him to do. And I wanted to do this.”

“Even so, it could have waited a couple of years.”

Rey tries very hard to resist the urge to scoff at that. “Who knows if any of us _have_ a couple of years? I’ve been independent all my life, I’m not giving anything up.”

Realising that the girl is more set in her ways than she thought, Leia raises her hands in surrender. “I can see that you didn’t make this decision lightly. You’ll make a wonderful mother.”

Rey softens at that, smile beginning to tug at the corners of her mouth, wondering what exactly it would be like to call herself a mother. “Thank you. And I understand this must be strange for you, Finn can’t seem to wrap his head around it so I can only imagine what it’s like for you.”

Smiling sadly, the General sits down on the bed, gesturing for Rey to take the chair that is pulled out from the desk. Her eyes remain trained on the younger woman’s abdomen as she lowers herself onto the wooden seat, watching the material of her clothes slide over her small but noticeable bump. “It’s very surreal, seeing Luke again after all these years. I can barely bring myself to leave his side in case he disappears again.”

“Then you can go back to him, I can go-“

She stops Rey before she can make a move for the door. “No, a few minutes won’t kill me. Besides,” a knowing smile creeps across her face, “I don’t think he’s going to up and leave without you so I think we’re safe.” Blushing at that, Rey remains silent, not knowing whether she should affirm or deny. “How far along are you?”

“I… I don’t know. Maybe five weeks? Six?” Desperately trying to ignore what that might infer, she lowers her gaze to her stomach, rubbing it absentmindedly.

“Well, I think it would be wise to make an appointment for you in the medical bay. Just to make sure that everything’s alright. How does tomorrow sound?”

“Great,” Rey smiles, butterflies beginning to flutter in her stomach at the thought of having a doctor check her out. Would she be able to see the child? Would Luke be there? “That would be great, thank you.”

The situation seems almost surreal to Leia; it’s been so long since she went through this herself- or even witnessed someone go through it- that she had almost forgotten what it’s like to bear a child, how it changes a woman. Sitting before her is a changed woman. And she hopes with every fibre of her being that it will all turn out for the better.

 

“Rey.”

Rey almost laughs at the weight that seems to lift off her chest when she runs into him in the corridor, a lifetime seemingly having passed since she’d left him with his sister in her office.

“Luke,” grinning, she resists the urge to pull him into a tight hug. Seeing less of him is something she needs to get used to, and quickly. He’s a war hero who has miraculously returned to the fold, she’s just a pregnant padawan.

“I was just about to come looking for you. There’s this place I spotted earlier… I wanted to see if you wanted to come for a walk.”

 _Yes_. Pretty sure it’s the best suggestion she’s heard all day, Rey inches closer to his side, but not too close, the need to be in proximity to him almost overwhelming. “I would love to. It’s great to be here but it’s a bit…”

“Claustrophobic?”

“Exactly. I kind of miss Ahch-to.”

Luke knows how she feels, knows only too well. “So do I.”

They make their way outside and Rey has to admit that D’Qar is beautiful. She probably would have thought it incredible had she not spent so long on the island. They easily come across a path amongst the trees, both walking in comfortable silence for a while before Rey gathers her thoughts enough to break it. “I spoke to Leia.”

Luke looks to her, hint of amusement in his smile and eyes. “I heard. I hope she didn’t overstep.”

“No, the opposite actually. She apologised. And she blamed you,” she adds with a chuckle.

He doesn’t seem too perturbed by that. “I thought she might.”

Now feeling rather bold, Rey chews on her lip momentarily. “It’s okay, I told her you didn’t do anything to me that I didn’t want you to do.” It’s a miracle she doesn’t end up blushing bright red, especially seeing as she swears she can see a hint of pink creep across his cheeks.

Clearing his throat, Luke keeps his eyes trained on the path ahead of them for fear of getting caught up in her. Again. “I… good. It seems like she’s coming around. Although I still think I’ll have to sleep with one eye open tonight.”

Rey laughs, her arm brushing his casually as they walk. “I told Finn.”

“Did he react better than my sister?”

“I don’t know… he’s been a bit weird ever since.”

Feeling a jolt of something he hasn’t felt in a long time, Luke pauses for a moment, smile no longer completely genuine. “Does he have feelings for you?”

She almost stops dead in her tracks at that, jaw falling open rather unattractively. For some reason her heart-rate quickens. “Finn? Have feelings for me? As in _romantic_ feelings?”

“Yes, romantic feelings. If he does it would be natural-“

“Finn does _not_ have romantic feelings for me. I think Poe the kind, hot shot pilot is enough for him.”

It’s only then that Luke remembers that she had previously mentioned that her friend was in a relationship with Commander Dameron and he feels even more pathetic. The worst part is he doesn’t fully understand why it affects him so. “Well then, he still obviously loves you. Not everyone will understand right away.”

Smile returning to her face, Rey chuckles as she ducks out of the way of a stray branch just in time to save herself from getting hit in the face. “Poe does, he thinks it’s great.”

Laughing along with her, Luke reaches over to remove a leaf that had fallen from one of the trees and gotten caught in her hair. “Well that’s something at least.” It’s only as his fingertips brush against the softness of her hair that he realises it’s now braided down her back instead of her usual buns. And that wasn’t the only difference. “You’ve changed clothes.”

Rey nods, pulling at the hem of her wine coloured tunic, which is tied with a black belt just beneath her chest. “Leia gave them to me. It hides my stomach better than my other ones… More room.”

He smiles, thumb brushing over her cheek. “You look beautiful, as always.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one has taken so long, I've been quite busy this week! 
> 
> And I have found my official song for this story (and for Rey/Luke in general). Feel free to have a [listen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KxMAlB8EZE)

It should be easy to sleep that night; the Resistance base is warmer, more accommodating than Ahch-to but something just feels… wrong. For starters, she’s been assigned her own room in the unofficial pilots' wing, just a couple of doors down from Finn and Poe. It’s obviously where the General thinks she’ll be most comfortable, and she probably should be, but it feels too much like being alone, with only her unborn child for company.

She feels Luke’s presence, though it seems like he’s miles away. He might as well be. It makes her uneasy; she tosses and turns, trying to find a position that isn’t too comfortable, as ridiculous as it sounds.

Luke.

She sighs, clutching the covers against her chest, and Rey wonders for a moment if this will fade away, this dependency on him that she has developed. He feels like a part of her- technically he is- and she’s only just realising to how great an extent that’s true. She yearns for his presence, his calming words and touches, his aura, his… love.

It’s problematic. What first started out as an objective plan somehow along the way turned into something a lot more complicated. If anyone were to ask her, she would say that Luke was her mentor, her teacher, and true as that is, it now seems like a lie.

But yet, Rey has no idea how to describe their relationship, what they are to each other. Maybe, she thinks, she’s afraid to ask too many questions of it in case she doesn’t like the answers.

Eventually, she can’t take the restlessness anymore. Throwing the covers off of herself, Rey climbs to her feet with ease, knowing the days of her being able to do so are numbered. The concrete floor is cool against her bare feet, a nice contrast to the warmth of the room. D’Qar isn’t particularly hot but the design of the base coupled with the fact that there’s no see breeze like there was on Ahch-to means that it’s warmer than she’s used to. Or at least she’d gotten used to.

Contemplating changing out of her sleepwear for a moment, Rey ultimately decides against it, figuring she looks respectable enough and that the corridors will probably be almost completely deserted at this hour of the night anyway. That’s pretty much confirmed the minute she steps outside the door, met with darkness for the most part save for the soft glow from wall lamps that appeared ever couple of metres. The only sound she can hear is the soft padding of her own feet, the emptiness amplifying the sound. A small part of her suggests that maybe she should be afraid, that she’s putting herself in a vulnerable position. A bigger part, however, scoffs at that, reminding that little part that even if anyone on the base wanted to hurt her (which seems completely unlikely), she’s a Jedi and the Jedi aren’t exactly ones to let themselves be thrown about.

Rey navigates the halls, not entirely sure of where she’s going. She just lets her senses guide her to where she wants to- _needs_ to go. It takes just under five minutes to get from her room to her destination, all the way at the end of the North wing. Somewhere she’d seen recently… Coming to a halt in from of a door that she just knows is the right one, Rey contemplates turning around again for a moment, wondering if this is a mistake. Before her anxiety can get the better of her, however, the door slides open. Taking that as the hint it obviously is, Rey steps inside, a soft whoosh sounding behind her as the panel slides shut again.

The room is dark but Rey sees him as if it were day, propped up on his good hand on the bed as he watches her, hint of amusement clear in his soft smile. “I was wondering how long it would take.”

She doesn’t reply to that, doesn’t need to, merely bites her lips before padding the short distance across the room to the bed where he’d graciously made room. Without a second thought, she climbs under the covers beside him, needing to scoot close so they’d both fit on the single bed. Rey doesn’t mind in the slightest and she doubts he does either, especially when his arm naturally comes to rest on her waist.

Humming in contentment, Rey smiles as she nuzzles at his neck. The realisation quickly hits her that this is about more than comfort, that it has been for weeks now. She doesn’t find it within herself to care too much either way.

Shifting so that he can pull her closer to him, Luke runs his fingers through her now liberated hair, breath hitching when she looks right up at him, lip trapped between her teeth. They hold each other’s gaze for a moment before Rey tilts her head for better access, pressing her lips firmly against his. Luke knows only too well where this is going, his lips parting instinctively as he threads his fingers though her hair, sighing as her tongue slips inside his mouth. He’s powerless not to react, the sensations she always seems to cause never dulling for a moment. It’s electric, like some kind of chemical reaction the Force itself has designed, and he just wants more, more, more.

Except more isn’t exactly something he can have right now…

“Rey?”

She humms against his mouth, tongue dipping in to ghost over the inside of his bottom lip.

“Leia is next door…”

Well if that doesn’t put a dampner on things. Rey knows what he’s getting at and understands, pressing one last chaste kiss against his lips before ceasing in her attack, happy to just cuddle with him and bask in his warmth. What she needs isn’t necessarily physical, the proximity is more than enough to satisfy her. The way her face fits perfectly against his chest, the way his arms hold her close, the way his breath tickles her skin…

“Think you might have to call in a favour with your sister in a couple of weeks and get yourself a bigger bed. There’s no way I’m going to fit in here when I’m all huge and swollen.” _And there’s no way I’m going without my man for the last couple of months of my pregnancy._

Luke blushes at the thought of having to tell his sister that he needs more room in his bed. A part of him, rather immaturely, hopes that Leia is smart enough to put two and two together. Nevertheless, he smiles, placing a kiss into her hair.

“I’ll sort it. But for now, you should try to get some sleep. It’s been a long day.”

That is has. Sleep is already proving to be less of a problem; Rey’s eyelids begin to droop until, despite still being awake, she can’t keep them open. “Thank you for giving me this baby,” she mumbles against the hollow of his neck.

His breath catches in his throat just a little bit at that, though it’s far from a bad reaction. All pretences that this is only about the future of the Jedi have well and truly gone out the window and, surprisingly, that’s okay. He’s okay with letting it happen. “My pleasure.”

 

Leia really shouldn’t be surprised as she is when she walks into her brother’s room the next morning to find him wrapped around Rey beneath the covers, both of them still sound asleep. Stopping dead in her tracks, she finds herself grateful that she had been quiet enough not to disturb them. It’s only then that the gravity of the situation finally hits her and for a moment she feels winded, as if all the air has been knocked out of her. She feels it properly for the first time, their bond, and it’s too familiar for her liking.

Rey doesn’t just love Luke- Luke loves her, with every inch of his being. Obviously, he’d learned a lot about masking his emotions since Leia had last seen him. When he’s awake, he gives nothing away. When he is asleep on the other hand… that’s a different matter completely. She feels _everything_ , so much so that her twin’s love for the girl begins to rub off on her; it’s that strong, that consuming. And the child…

“Oh Luke…”

That’s a mistake, unintentional as it is. She feels the love, the emotion, beginning to cloud, almost in perfect synchronisation with the opening of a pair of bright blue eyes and Leia finds herself shut out almost as quickly as the words had left her mouth.

“I should have known she would end up here,” Leia says quietly, neutrally as Luke’s eyes lock with hers. They’re a beautiful pair, despite the obvious problems. She sees his eyes lower to the sleeping woman beside him, looking like he wants nothing more than to press a kiss against the girl’s cheek.

“It’s just been us for quite a while.”

Nodding, Leia says no more, knowing that Rey waking up to find she’s being watched by her… whatever he is to her and his sister would be more than a bit embarrassing. So she slips out the door again, heading back into her room momentarily to find a set of clothes the girl could wear when she woke, deciding that neither Rey nor Luke (nor Leia for that matter) would want the base talking about how she was seen leaving her Master’s room midmorning wearing nothing but an oversized t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

She doesn’t linger for long, sticking her head inside the door and placing the pile of clothes on a nearby chair, gone before her brother even had a chance to give her his thanks.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so unbelievably sorry about how long I've taken to update this! I just completely lost inspiration. But then that trailer happened and I ended up badly injuring my knee today and... 
> 
> Hope you enjoy! Those they are still reading anyway :P
> 
> And thank you so much for your wonderful comments x

“Looks like we’ve got a bit of an audience…” Luke smirks, mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes as he ignites his lightsaber, not even having to cast a glance to the far side of the hall to be aware of that fact.

Neither does Rey for that matter, but she can’t help herself. A small group has gathered consisting of Leia, Finn, Poe and a few others, far enough out of the way to ensure they won’t be an inconvenience, merely watching on out of curiosity. It appears that they are too intrigued by the prospect of getting to see the last two remaining Jedi duel to pass up the chance. Though she can’t exactly say she minds, Rey can’t help but feel self-conscious, instinctively adjusting the material of her clothes around her abdomen.

“We had better give them a show then, hadn’t we?” Flicking the button on her saber, her eyes closing as the familiar hum filled her ears, bringing a smile to her face, Rey takes a step in his direction. He will take the lead as she needed to work on her defensive skills. And he does, giving her a little wink before coming straight at her, starting off with a move that she’d successfully defended what seemed like hundreds of times.

_Come on, you can try harder than that._

*

“This is the greatest thing I’ve ever witnessed in my entire life. Like, bar none. And I’ve seen some pretty amazing stuff.

Rolling his eyes dramatically at Jess, Snap laughs as he nudges her playfully. “That’s probably because you’re the biggest Luke Skywalker fan in the entire galaxy.”

“Damn right I am. But this Rey girl, she’s badass. Look at her, she’s kicking his ass!”

Folding his arms across his chest, Poe exchanges a knowing look with the General. “Somehow I don’t think he’s running at one hundred percent just yet. Right, General?”

“You bet your ass, Dameron.”

Leia’s reactions are a joy to him. Okay, he’d come to witness a moment that is somewhat historic, one that many thought would never come, but it’s more for the General that Poe has turned up. Watching her, the nostalgia that almost radiates off her, the way she looks as if she is hyped up and ready to jump in on his side at any moment is something special. He can see that she’s transported back in time to when she was a part of the Rebellion and not the Resistance. When the Empire was the enemy and the First Order didn’t even yet exist. When it was her and Luke and Han, taking them all on. The only thing that hasn’t changed is how much is at stake.

Finn can hardly keep still. His eyes never leave his friend as she dances around the hall with her fellow Jedi, her mentor and her… well, he doesn’t exactly know. He sincerely doubts that Rey does either. Green clashes with blue in a way that almost seems to send off sparks, just like the palpable energy between the two protagonists. Every so often, his hand twitches almost to the point of making a fist when things get a little too close for comfort. He should know better; Rey’s moves are flawless, responding to Luke’s attack in a way that is so fluid that for a moment he wonders if this whole ‘two Jedi having a baby’ thing has fostered some kind of telepathic link between the two.

Maybe, he thinks, it all comes down to the island. It’s blatantly obvious that the two have grown _very close_ during their relatively short period of time together- though it seems like a lifetime when they’re effectively at war- and Finn finds himself wondering if maybe they’re just too close to be able to successfully get one over on one another.

But then again, maybe not.

They cross the room, getting closer to the group, and Rey suddenly takes Luke by surprise, smirking to herself when it almost causes him to completely lose his balance. Although appreciative of the skill, Luke isn’t just about to let his padawan get the better of him so easily and retaliates immediately, upping the ante as they electric sound of clashing lighsabers fills the room once again, even more furious this time.

Finn can hardly watch. “He’s going to hurt her,” he keeps his voice as low as possible, aware that Rey is more than capable of looking after herself and therefore more nervous for the unborn child she’s carrying than the Jedi herself.

Poe scoffs, a reaction that is almost mirrored (with far more grace and dignity, of course) by the General. “I should be more worried for my brother than you Rey. Her technique may not be as polished as Luke’s but she’s got this fire in her that I struggle to remember seeing in anyone else. Maybe Han,” Leia adds softly, her smile now tinged with a mixture of sadness and nostalgia as she continues to watch the latest additions to base. How fitting, she thinks, that her twin should find his Han in a free spirited scavenger.

“Rey seems to be giving as good as she gets, buddy. Don’t worry.”

And so she does. The battle continues to wage on, as mesmerising to watch as anyone could have imagined. Until Luke makes one bad move and his padawan pounces, taking him to ground before he could even grasp what’s happening. Finn lets out a whoop at that, the sound echoing off the walls as Jessica, by his side, looks torn between being disappointed and impressed.

A couple of feet away, Rey has extinguished her lightsaber, discarding it on the ground before pinning Luke’s arms by his sides. It’s impossible for her to keep from grinning triumphantly, and the man beneath her smiles back despite being bested. Looking down at his face, her thighs on either side of his waist, she gets distracted and learns that only too well.

It happens in the blink of an eye, suddenly down is up and instead of looking down into Luke’s eyes, he’s looking down at hers, her arms pinned above her head.

“Ha!” Jess grins, smirking at a very confused looking Finn, “Never take your eye off your opponent.”

He huffs, annoyed that he’s lost bragging rights. “I don’t think it’s taking her eyes off of him that was Rey’s problem…” Finn mutters, earning a sharp elbow to the ribs from Poe. It’s almost worth it, however, to look over and see the look of unadulterated pride on the General’s face, even as Luke helps Rey to her feet once again.

“He’s really back.”

*

It’s too much. Rey’s having a nice time talking to Finn, Poe and co but she can’t sit still, her mind buzzing and her body urging her to move. She zones out, and when she comes back to the present, Finn is looking expectantly at her, everyone following his lead. She ends up shaking her head to herself, trying to focus. It’s a lost cause.

“Sorry. I think I need to go and meditate… can I catch up with you later?”

Her best friend looks doubtful but Poe intercedes on his behalf, smiling that easy smile that was so reassuring. “Of course. We’ll save you a place at dinner.”

Thanking him sincerely, Rey bids everyone a temporary farewell, hand affectionately brushing Finn’s shoulder as she gets up and heads for the exit. It’s obvious that they’re watching her leave, and so she keeps her head held high, trying to look unaffected, as she turns to the right instead of taking the left to her quarters.

Her feet carry her towards her destination without even having to think about it, barely registering what’s around her and yet seeing everything at the same time. It takes her no time at all to reach his room and Rey wonders just when that will change, when she will be so round with her child- hers and Luke’s child- that even walking at the slowest pace will prove difficult. A hand moves to her stomach subconsciously, her fingers tracing delicate patterns over the material of her top, and she wonders whether Ren and his master will be able to sense its existence, whether they already know that she ruined their plan by convincing Luke Skywalker to put a baby in her.

_Speaking of which…_

Just as before, the door slides open the moment she arrives in front of it. Except this time instead of lying in bed, Luke seems to be pacing the room and Rey realises that the restlessness she had been feeling is a two way thing. Already, she feels reassured, like this is exactly where she’s meant to be, and she steps inside, waving the door shut behind her.

“What does this mean?”

He knows what she means, of course he does, and he stills, observing her as if there were still a part of her that remained a mystery, as if he doesn’t already know her inside out. “We’ve provoked some kind of bond.”

It would be a lie to say that she hadn’t already thought of that. She is, after all, carrying a piece of him inside of her. “And that troubles you?”

He appears to contemplate that for a moment before sitting down in the single chair by the locker, gesturing for her to take the bed. Although a little hesitant, she does as instructed, waiting for him to tell her whatever he so obviously needed to. “I don’t suppose I ever mentioned my mother to you in great detail?”

“No, you didn’t.”

A sad smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. “She was an extraordinary woman; beautiful and caring and formidable, or so I’m told. Much like you.” Rey wants to argue that that doesn’t sound like her at all, but refrains from doing so, knowing she just needs to listen. “For all his faults, my father truly loved her, even if back then Jedi were strictly forbidden from forming attachments. It was his downfall in the end, the reason he turned to the Dark side.”

It isn’t hard to see the parallels. “She died and he turned to the Dark?”

“Not quite,” he grimaced, “Obviously, I didn’t learn this until years after the Rebellion and even then I could only gather bits and pieces of information but my mother and father were secretly married. Not too long after, she fell pregnant with Leia and I and it doomed him. He used to dream, you see, that she would die in childbirth and became obsessed with finding a way to prevent it. He couldn’t have known that he would be the reason for her death.”

“Have you dreamt about me?”

“No. No, I haven’t. At least not about your death. I’m… frightened by the possibility of history repeating itself.”

“No,” Rey shakes her head, sure that he can feel the pure horror she feels, “No. That would never happen- it couldn’t. You’re not your father. Anakin and your mother… that’s completely different.”

“How so?”

“He loved her more than anything else, more than being a Jedi. You don’t love me like that, you gave me a child but you don’t love me like he loved her.”

Looking away for a moment, his brow furrows. “Don’t I?”

 _But- what?_ It takes a moment but her eyes widen when she realises what he’s saying, what he’s telling her. It almost knocks the breath out of her, warmth flooding her veins as her lips curve without permission. “You love me?”

With a laboured sigh, he nods, still refusing to meet her gaze. “I shouldn’t. It’s messy and I knew that when I agreed to get you pregnant but I can’t keep myself from caring for you. And I worry every day that it might be detrimental to your training.”

“I don’t. Not at all. Ren, he doesn’t understand love. He only knows hate. And the only thing that can defeat hate is love, not indifference. The Jedi weren’t supposed to love, but that didn’t mean that they didn’t and look where that got your father.”

“I’m old enough to be _your_ father.”

“What does age mean in the middle of war? I could die today, tomorrow, next year. As could you or Leia or Finn. And I’m sorry but it’s a bit late, isn’t it? You’ve already put your child inside of me,” she replaces her hand on her stomach, his gaze lowering to the gentle swell, “what difference does it make at this stage? Are you going to love our son or daughter?”

 _If I’m around to meet him or her._ “Of course.”

“Then it’s not unnatural that you should love their mother too. And she you.” Before he can get another word in, she stands, reaching out for his hand. Reluctantly, he acquiesces, getting to his feet to their standing but a couple of inches from each other. She’s so beautiful; so good and strong despite her age and he knows resistance is futile. Chewing on her lip for the briefest of moments, Rey takes a sure step forward and cups his face with her hands, lips slowly meeting his.

It feels so right, and anything that feels that right can’t be wrong…

Can it?

 

 

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your kind comments on the last chapter! I'm so glad to see some of you are still with me, and welcome to new readers ♥ This update would have probably been quicker but for the fact that I had a brainwave for two (2) new Rey/Luke fics and started writing bits for them before I realised that I would be better off finishing the rest of this chapter which was already half-written. But I'm still very excited for my new ventures, at least one of which I am very sure you will like ;)

Opening the door of her room with just a wave of her hand, Rey’s eyes lit up when she Finn standing there, even if a little awkwardly. “Finn! Hi! Come in.”

He does as he’s told, giving her one of those smiles that she had to confess she missed greatly on the island. “Hey. Are you feeling better?”

Patting the space beside her on the bed, she nods eagerly. “Yeah, I am. Just needed to hide away from everyone for a bit.” Breakfast hadn’t been a pleasant affair, the smell of whatever god awful thing her friend had been eating obviously offending her stomach. She’d barely made it from the mess in time to throw up.

“Good to hear. Where’s Luke?”

She’s about to say that she doesn’t know when she realises that she does, barely having to reach out with the force to find out. “With Leia and Ackbar. Where’s Poe?”

“Out on recon, he’ll be back in a day or two.” There’s the briefest moment of silence, Rey sensing her friend’s slight discomfort but willing to give him the time he needs to say whatever it was he’s come to say. “I just want to talk to you about something.”

“Sounds ominous,” she smiles, trying to diffuse some of the tension, but on the inside it makes her worry. In her experience, conversations that start like that don’t tend to end well.

The smile is returned, Finn reaching out to take her hand in the way that he seems to have grown so fond of. So much so that the Jedi doesn’t even fight it anymore. “It’s not, don’t worry. I just wanted to apologise for how I reacted when you told me you were…”

“I was?” Her eyebrows raise, and it’s a little bit cruel but, really, is it that hard to say?

“When you told me you were pregnant. I could have handled it better and I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, I know it was a shock. You weren’t expecting me to come back pregnant with some guy’s child.”

“You can say that again,” he laughs, brushing his thumb across the back of her hand in a way that reminds her of Luke. Just like with her fellow Jedi, it makes her feel safe. “Still, I should have said the things I said. I want you to be happy and if this- if _he_ makes you happy then you have my support.”

Eyes widening ever so slightly, Rey’s cheeks begin to flush. For a moment, she wonders just how completely obvious they have been. Yes, she’s carrying his baby, but Luke is still meant to be her teacher; this child they have conceived is meant to be a means to an end, not a decision to start a family. Only recently has her opinion on that changed, so how come he already knows? She’s embarrassed, not because she’s fallen in love with Luke Skywalker, but because she doubts whether people will understand, whether they will think she’s losing sight of their shared objective for the sake of her own happiness.

“Finn…”

Brows knitting together, the reformed Stormtrooper cocks his head. “What? I’m confused. Does he not know how you feel about him?”

 _Oh he knows. Probably for longer than I would like to imagine._ “I, uh- yeah, he does. But it’s complicated. We’re… not a couple.”

Now he’s completely confused. “So let me get this straight… you’re having his baby and you’re in love with him but yet that’s not a couple?”

“It’s complicated,” she repeated, not expecting him to understand.

“Okay, then maybe we should try uncomplicate it? We know you love him, that’s ticked off. You’ve had sex with him once, or more than once?” Her furious blush tells him everything he needs to know there, “And it wasn’t when you weren’t trying to get pregnant?” She’s positively _scarlet_ now, so much so that Finn can’t help but chuckle at how adorably proper she was. “Whose bed do you sleep in at night?”

Okay, he has her there. “His.”

“So you’re either incredibly in denial or you know I’m right and you just don’t want to put a label on it for fear of what people will think. Either way, I really don’t think it makes a difference. He’s as much yours as you are his, I hate to be the one to break it to you…”

Rey sharply withdraws her hand at that, giving him a playful slap. “You know we all can’t have a completely uncomplicated relationship with the poster boy of the Resistance. It’s dangerous with us, there’s too much at stake. In fact, if it weren’t for the fact that I have no choice in the matter I would definitely not choose to get involved in something like this. It’s messy.”

“It is messy. But it also gives you something pretty special to fight for.”

She can’t help but think he might have a point there.

*

Rey and the baby are in perfectly good health, Dr Kalonia is all too happy to announce, though she’s a little taken aback by how quickly the young Jedi has begun to show. Although she isn’t quite at the point where it’s completely undeniable that she’s pregnant, the little swell between Rey’s hips is very noticeable to anyone clued in. That comment leads Rey, face red with mortification and eyes almost comically wide, to assure Luke that he was in fact the father of her child. Dr Kalonia, thankfully is kind enough to put the poor girl out of her misery and inform her that, in all her years of experience, she’s never come across a baby with two parents so strong in the Force and that it’s very likely that that has something to do with it. Rey, relieved though no less embarrassed, is more than willing to accept that explanation.

As soon as they are given the okay to leave, BB-8 arrives with a message from Leia, requesting Rey’s presence as soon as is practicable. Luke is actually glad of the turn of events, encouraging his padawan to go ahead without him, which she does, leaving him alone with the resident doctor.

“What’s wrong, Luke?”

It’s unsurprising that she can sense that something is not quite right. “She’s healthy, isn’t she? Strong enough to safely carry and deliver the child?”

 _Ah_. Having heard enough of the Skywalker family history, the doctor understands his concern and places a hand reassuringly on his arm. “She’s young,” he tries to ignore the raised eyebrow and wry smile, “And she seems to be, miraculously after all she’s been through, perfectly healthy. I see no reason why she wouldn’t be able to safely deliver the child when the time comes.”

He knows as well as she does that that is very much dependent on no outside interference, which there almost certainly would be were the First Order to learn of her pregnancy. Her assurance is about as comforting as it possibly can be, given the circumstances. “I needed to know. I don’t want to worry her too much.”

Kalonia gives him a kind smile. “She’s not your mother, Luke. And you’re not your father. She’s incredibly strong, both of body and mind. Have you discussed your concerns with her?”

“Yes. And she’s more or less told me the same thing. But, well, I wanted to be sure.”

“Listen to her, she knows her body. Although, how she decided to have a baby with Luke Skywalker in the first place, I’ll never know.”

Luke knows there’s no malice behind her teasing and can’t help himself from chuckling at how absurd the turn of events is. “The girl is a force to be reckoned with. Once she had decided she wanted me to give her a child, there was no changing her mind. Force knows I tried.”

“I don’t doubt it,” she laughed, not telling one word of a lie, “But can I give you a bit of advice?”

“By all means, but I can’t promise to take it.”

She expected as much. You’ve had the weight of the world on your shoulders for decades now. Everyone needs a little love in their lives. Don’t push her away, especially with the bond that you two now share. It will just ruin you and it isn’t going to help anyone. And don’t be afraid to love her either,” smiling sadly, Kalonia can see only too clearly that, while he is for the most part convinced, there still remains a shadow of doubt, “You never know when it all might be too late.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so much for your comments on the last chapter! ♥ I'm not too fond of this one and I hope you don't think it's terrible but I'm looking forward to the next one ;)

Sitting in the mess, mulling over her morning cup of caf, Jess surveys everything that’s going on around her, just as she always does when she’s not yet fit for human interaction. So far, nothing remarkable has caught her eye- just the usual toing and froing that has become part and parcel of Resistance base life.

That is, however, until Rey appears. There’s always something interesting about that girl, even if it’s just a neat little trick that she’d show off to anyone willing to watch, which is pretty much everyone, if she’s being honest. This morning, however, there’s something different about her, though Jess can’t quite put her finger on it. Head cocked ever so slightly, the pilot continues to observe the Jedi, trying to find that little thing that she was missing.

It isn’t until Rey’s hand brushes her stomach that Jess’ gaze follows it, the penny dropping almost in time with her jaw. If she wasn’t awake before, she certainly is now.

“Oh my god!”

Poe almost jumps a foot off his seat beside her at the sudden outburst. “Kriffing hell! What was that?”

But Jess has no time to apologise. Leaning in closer, her eyes remained fixed on the Jedi. “Is Rey _pregnant_?!”

 _Shit._ Completely taken off guard, his eyes widen comically, almost knocking over a cup in his surprise. He looks over at his friend; her bump looks no bigger than it did the previous day, but he got used to the fact that she was pregnant weeks ago. “I have no idea.”

“Banthashit, Dameron. I bet my ship that you know something.”

Snap, who had initially brushed the question off as Jess being overdramatic, now begins to look for himself. And, hey, what do you know? “She does look like she’s got a bit of a baby bump going on…”

This isn’t fair. “Guys, keep it down, okay? I don’t think it’s common knowledge yet and I don’t want to get into trouble.” Rey must know, with her Jedi powers she couldn’t but, but she doesn’t once look up from the conversation she’s having with one of the Admirals, one who had fought back in the day with Luke and Leia and his parents.

“Who’s the father? Or is it a Force baby like Anakin Skywalker?”

He wishes more than anything that the questions would stop, because he really doesn’t want to answer that one. Not at all. It isn’t his place to go around spreading gossip about Rey, someone he really cares for and who feels almost like the sister he never had. But he can’t see a way out of this conversation, and even if he could that certainly wouldn’t sate the Blue Squadron member’s curiosity. “Fine, I’ll tell you but you have to keep it to yourselves, okay? At least until it becomes common knowledge.” Both agree almost too quickly, urging him on, and he almost changes his mind. “The idea came from the First Order. Snoke wanted- ­ _wants_ \- Rey to become pregnant with Ren’s baby. Because apparently their child would be insanely powerful.”

Jess’ eyes widen in horror, and she casts a glance over at the brunette once again. “That is _disgusting_. I would rather kill myself than give birth to that monster’s child.”

“Right. Rey thought so too. But it was an interesting concept, so she decided to beat them at their own game.

It makes sense, she has to admit. “By having a baby of her own before they could get to her? But her child won’t be as powerful, will it? As it would be with two force sensitive parents- oh. my. _god_.”

“What??” Snap demands, needing desperately to know what he was missing out on. “That’s not fair!”

“Rey… is carrying Luke Skywalker’s baby.”

*

“Jess!”

“Kriff’s sake!” the pilot places her hand over her heart, understanding how Dameron had felt earlier that morning as the Jedi appears from beneath one of the X-wings seemingly out of nowhere.

Biting her lip, Rey smiles apologetically as she wipes her greasy hands on the tattered and baggy black clothes she’s wearing. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay. But please warn me if anyone else is going to pop out of there so I can be prepared.”

“Don’t worry, you’re safe. Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Jess doesn’t even have to wonder for a minute what this is about, she knows. _Damn it, Poe. You couldn’t just keep your mouth shut._ “He told you?”

Arching an eyebrow, Rey leans against the fighter, arms folding across her midriff. “I assume you’re talking about Poe? If so, he didn’t tell me anything. Jedi, remember?” she smirks, though it quickly fades when she sees that the other woman isn’t smiling with her. “Don’t worry, I’m not mad or offended or whatever. It’s all true, after all. I just want to know if it’s really obvious.”

 _Oh_. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to gossip. Not always obvious but sometimes yeah. Just depends on the angle. And what you’re wearing. Like now,” she gestured to the younger woman’s stomach, “not obvious because you’re wearing black and it’s loose. But I wouldn’t start obsessing over trying to hide it, it’s getting a little bit late for that.”

Rey knows that only too well. “Yeah, I think so too,” rubbing her now larger bump, she shakes her head, “it’s growing fast.”

“So it’s true? Luke is the baby’s father?”

A flicker of defensiveness crosses the younger woman’s face. “Yes, he is. It’s-“

“Hey,” Jess smiles, holding up her hands, “You don’t have to explain anything to me. Or anyone else for that matter. Whatever reasons you had, even if there was no reason other than you just wanted to jump him, it’s none of mine or anyone else’s business.”

Her grip on the X-wing slackens ever so slightly, enough that she almost slips. Mouth open, her cheeks begin to flame. “There was a reason,” god, her voice is embarrassingly shrill, “we didn’t just…”

“Oh, I know. But remember that just because we’re in a war doesn’t mean that you have to spend every waking moment thinking about it. Falling in love doesn’t make you any less focused. If anything, it gives you something to fight for.”

This is getting out of hand. “W-who said anything about love?”

“Your face when you look at him. And him too,” Jess grins, chuckling at the Jedi’s pink cheeks, “I didn’t notice anything until I realised you were pregnant with his child, but when I started thinking about it it made a lot of sense. It’s not like you spend your days mooning over him or anything, there’s just something there. Like when Poe looks at Finn.”

Eyes widening in horror, Rey can only groan as she covers her eyes with her hand. “Like when Poe looks at Finn?”

Point taken. “Okay, maybe more like when Finn looks at Poe. Dameron is so clearly in love it’s disgusting. If it’s any consolation I’m a little bit jealous. Just a little. He is Luke Skywalker, after all.”

And suddenly she was regretting ever approaching the pilot in the first place. _What??_ “I’m glad we had this talk, it _really_ made me feel better…”

“Rey?”

“Hmm?”

“Ren was alone and he chose the wrong path. We’re stronger together. And besides,” she gave the other woman a wry smile, “they all adore Luke. And no one’s going to want to risk upsetting the two most important and powerful people on base, probably in the galaxy.” Although Rey smiles at that, the young woman clearly remains unsure, which gives Jess a bit of a brainwave. “I have an idea…”

*

By that evening practically all of base knows about her pregnancy. Jess’ grand idea was to, effectively, tell _everyone_ that she was pregnant. Or rather announce it in a way that left little room for misunderstanding. A strategic meeting had been called on the back of some very important recon, all pilots, fighters and co-ordinators gathering in the largest hall at their disposal.

Rey, arriving a little later than most due to the fact that dinner didn’t quite agree with her, meanders her way to the top of the room after Finn catches her eye and waves her over. Sure enough, she finds that he has saved a seat for her, right between himself and Jess, the most senior and highest ranking Resistance members standing a couple of feet from them. Worryingly, they seem to be engaged in very animated discussions and it gives her a very bad feeling.

She, apparently, doesn’t have time to dwell on that, however.

“Hey,” Jess grins as she pats the seat next to her, “How’s Baby Skywalker doing this evening?”

It’s loud enough that it seems like the whole room stops, a hundred or so pairs of eyes now on her. Even Luke, ever cool and composed as he is, stops talking and turns to look at her in shock, his twin following suit, although she looks far more amused. Suddenly, it occurs to her that the statement might be misunderstood, that it might be taken as referring to her as a young Jedi. Or worse, she thinks, it might be taken as meaning that _she’s_ a baby Skywalker, which is exactly what she _doesn’t_ need to deal with on top of everything.

To avoid such a horrifying turn of events, Rey places one hand against the swell of her stomach, leaving absolutely no room for doubt. Several gasps can be heard around the room, but for her own sake she completely ignores that. “Better now that he or she has stopped making their mother sick.” She sits, trying to be as blasé as humanly possible, and everything seems to resume.

“See, all done and not the end of the world,” Jess leans in and whispers, placing a hand reassuringly on her shoulder. “It’s like a bactapatch, just rip it off and it’s less painful.”

 _“Give me a little warning next time?”_ The voice in her head would have made her cringe if it weren’t for the fact that he sounds mildly amused. She can’t exactly help the fact that his child is slowly but surely turning her into the size of a hutt.

_“Next time?”_

_“You know what I meant. Jess is clever, making sure the whole base knows in the one go.”_

_“It might be a talking point for a couple of days but then it will die down. Hopefully…”_

As it turns out, it would barely be a talking point for an hour. They have much bigger problems to worry about…

The First Order is mobilising.

 

 

 

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like this one! It's a little bit different than you might expect...

“Rey, you’re going to go with Poe.”

Brow furrowing, she looks between Luke and Leia in complete bewilderment. To her, that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. “Isn’t Poe flying his X-Wing? It’s not exactly a two person ship…”

“I’m taking the Falcon this time with Chewie but we kinda need a third person in case we get into trouble and, well, you know it better than most.”

Now that she thinks about it, she can see the logic. But Finn had easily manned the guns when they had escaped from Jakku, surely he would make the ideal third member? Looking to Luke, who’s acting as if this is perfectly normal, Rey can’t help but feel a little bit upset. “But surely it makes more sense if we’re together? If we come up against Kylo-“

Not even so much as a look is exchanged between the twins. “We’ll regroup at some point.”

It’s absolutely absurd, that’s all she can think but she knows it won’t look good to kick up a fuss about not going with Luke, even though it has nothing to do with the fact that he’s her lover and everything to do with the fact that he’s her Master. “All right. I’ll go on the Falcon then.”

Poe grins at that, draping an arm over her shoulder and giving her a side hug. “Great. I tell you, I’m so excited to get a chance to fly that baby. You know it did the Kessel run in-“

“twelve parsecs,” Luke, Leia _and_ Rey say in tandem, two speaking fondly and one rolling her eyes.

“Rey,” the General smiles, extending her hands to take the younger woman’s, “May the Force be with you. And make sure you look out for Commander Dameron, we can’t afford to lose our best pilot.”

“Hey, have I failed to come back yet?”

“Yes.”

“Okay but in my defence I was stranded on a desert planet.”

Chuckling softly, Luke exchanges a look with his padawan. “Hmm, sounds a bit familiar, doesn’t it? Can I have a word before we leave?”

Before she even has a chance to respond, Leia and Poe both excuse themselves, the former giving her brother a brief hug and making him promise to be safe, which he can’t do, of course, but he can try. With one more smile, though it doesn’t quite reach her eyes, the General disappears, leaving them alone.

“Please be safe.” It comes out as more of a sigh, and Rey tries her hardest not to think of the fact that this might be the last time they see each other.

“I’ll be fine, I should be asking that of you.”

“I’m a survivor, I always have been.”

“That you are,” smiling softly, he reaches out to ghost his fingers over her cheek, his mechanical hand now completely repaired and undistinguishable from the real one, “May the Force be with you, Rey.”

It’s too much. It feels like saying goodbye. Before she can think better of it, Rey steps closer, cupping Luke’s face as she brings their lips together. As far as kisses go, it’s quick and chaste but she’s satisfied that it has the desire effect. “May the Force be with you, Luke.”

*

“Where are we going?”

It’s getting ridiculous, they’ve been travelling for what seems like a lifetime and there is absolutely no sign of any of their comrades, never mind the First Order. Something inside her tells her that something fishy is going on, though she really hopes that she’s wrong.

If the question is in any way unwanted, Poe certainly doesn’t show it. “We just have to make a quick stop before meeting up with the others. Don’t worry,” he flashes her a brilliant smile, “it’s all a part of the plan.”

“Well, I wasn’t exactly informed of the plan so I wouldn’t know.” Why wouldn’t they tell her? What was with the secrecy? And why was she needed?

“Yavin 4, that’s where we’re heading.”

“Yavin? Is that-“

“My home planet?” his smile is almost blinding, “Yeah, it is.”

 

Yavin 4 is absolutely beautiful. So much so that Rey finds herself envious of the Commander and his happy childhood on the jungle planet. She would bet that its resident never had to worry about a shortage of water, a shortage of food… anything.

Expecting to wait the short time while Poe does what he needs to do on the Falcon, she’s surprised when he enthusiastically beckons for her to come with him, only Chewie remaining behind with the ship. It doesn’t exactly sit right with her but, nevertheless, Rey goes with him, the humidity hitting her the movement they step outside. Poe, completely in his element, takes a deep breath and laughs, looking more at ease than the Jedi has ever seen him. “It’s good to be home. When this war is over, I’m coming right back here. It couldn’t be further away from Jakku, so I’m sure that Finn will like it.”

That’s not even something Rey wants to consider thinking about. Her future is so uncertain that she knows doing so will only lead to a lot of doubt and unnecessary worry. “That sounds lovely.”

It’s only a short walk to their destination, and before Rey knows it they’re on the doorstep of a lovely house, nestled amongst the greenery and trees. For the life of her, she can’t ever remember seeing a home like this, so unlike the huts on Jakku. Poe is almost luminescent, smile threatening to cut his face in half as they approach and she realises that this must be where he grew up. That thought is confirmed by a man appearing at the door, almost a carbon copy of his son if it weren’t for the greying fair and couple of lines on his face.

Smiling as if he’d just been giving the greatest gift in the world, Poe’s father hurries to meet his son, wrapping him up in the tightest hug Rey’s ever seen anyone give. Although happy for him, she can’t help but smile sadly as she wonders about her family, if this would resemble the scene if she were ever to reunite with them. Probably not, she thinks, seeing as she can’t even remember what they look like anymore.

“Poe!”

“Dad! It’s so good to see you.”

“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you. It’s been too long.”

“I know, but-“

“You’ve been busy trying to save the galaxy, I get it. Been there before, remember?” Pressing a brief kiss against the younger man’s hair, he turns to face Rey, who tries to hide the fact that she’s blatantly sharing. “You must be the Jedi.”

Before she can open her mouth, Poe places a firm hand on her shoulder. “Dad, this is Rey. But can we please keep it down until we get inside?”

“Sure, sure,” the older man gives a roll of his eyes, “come on in.”

 

Of all the things that might have happened today, Rey would have ranked sitting in Kes Dameron’s kitchen drinking blue milk (since Kalonia had warned her off caff) as the least likely. But then again, until twenty minutes ago she didn’t even know he existed so… It’s quite bizarre and, although he seems like a lovely man and is genuinely nice to talk to, Rey can’t shake the feeling that they’re wasting time. Progressively getting antsier by the minute, she thinks she might snap if they don’t get out of there soon.

“Poe,” she takes her chance when Kes leaves the room for a minute, “What about the others? They must have reached the First Order by now…” A flash of guilt crosses the pilot’s face and Rey feels her stomach begin to sink. It all starts to make sense: being sent on the Falcon with Poe, going on a trip to the other side of the galaxy when they should have been supporting the others, having tea with Poe’s kriffing father…

“You have _got_ to be kidding me!”

Walking back into the kitchen, Kes looks between the two and grimaces. “Oh dear. Has she figured it out?”

That’s the final straw. Standing suddenly, anger begins to flood through her. “He sent me to the other side of the kriffing galaxy to keep me away from the fight? Who does he think he is?! I’m a Jedi, not some fragile, pregnant housewife!”

“Rey-“

“I have never been so insulted in my entire life! Just because I’m carrying a child- _his_ child- does not mean that I can’t fight like everyone else! Who was it that fought Kylo Ren on Starkiller? Who was it that came and retrieved him from that island? I am _so_ angry. This is ridiculous. What a misogynistic… _nerfherder_!” Getting it all out certainly makes her feel a little bit better, but one look at the pilot and her fury is ignited once again. “And to deprive the Resistance of its best pilot when he’s clearly needed-“ another guilty look. “No…”

Cringing, Poe awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. “I’m sorry.”

“Poe Dameron, do you dare leave me here! I won’t let you.”

“They can’t risk Ren finding out that you’re pregnant. Not now. He would stop at nothing to get you. People would die.”

“What’s stopping him looking for me in people’s minds!”

“They’re trying to be careful with anyone who goes near him.”

“Luke might be able to withstand him but no one else will. It’s _pointless._ He’ll be looking for me, he’ll want to find me. And when he doesn’t it’s going to raise questions.”

Smiling sadly, Poe shakes his head to himself, glancing briefly at his father whose face was now completely blank. “I’m sorry, Rey. I never wanted to lie to you. It’s war and we have to do what we have to do.”

 _UGH._ “I could still go, you know. You couldn’t stop me.”

“I could try but I probably wouldn’t succeed,” he shrugs, “but you probably couldn’t find a ship fast enough for it to make a difference. Besides, he may have been a bit backwards about it but he wants you here for a reason.”

Gritting her teeth, Rey stares the pilot down for a moment before sighing and sinking back into her chair. She’d once been told something about choosing your battles… “Go,” it comes out as more of a growl than a word, “before I change my mind.”

Unsurprisingly, he does, bidding his father a quick farewell and promising to come back and see him soon as he could. Despite herself, she can’t help but smile the slightest bit, though she tries her very best to hide it, when he excitedly tells his Kes that he will try to bring Finn too.

Then there’s two, and if this isn’t one of the most bizarre circumstances she’s ever found herself in in her life. Being babysat by Poe Dameron’s father… It’s preposterous. She’s never needed anyone to look after her in her entire life.

“Don’t be too hard on him.”

“I know he was just following instructions. I was wondering why they sent him on the Falcon instead of Finn. Finn wouldn’t have been able to lie to me.”

“No,” Kes smiles, leaning forward to rest his forearms on the table, “I was talking about Luke.”

And there goes the mood again. “The next time I see him he’s going to get his ass kicked. He’s _so_ lucky that he’s on the other side of the galaxy right now...”

“If he had told you about any of this… would you have gone?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Then I don’t think he had a choice. And I don’t think he sent you away just for the sake of it, he had a reason.”

“I should be there. If anything happens to him- to any of them- I’ll never be able to forgive myself. I’ll never forgive _him_.”

“Luke is the best fighter I’ve ever come across. I’m sure he’ll be okay.”

“You know him.” It isn’t a question, she’d just forgotten completely until now.

His smile becomes tinged with something along the lines of sadness. Nodding, he reaches for the jug to refill his cup. “Better than many. We fought together back in the days of the Rebellion. Though my wife knew him better, she was an A-Wing pilot. Gifted, like Poe. She and Luke went on a couple of missions together, when Poe was just a baby. They were quite close before Shara died.”

“I’m sorry.”

He waves that one off. “Anyway, you and Luke have a job to do. He’s not going to leave you alone in all this, don’t worry.”

Frowning, Rey unsconsciously pushes her cup around the table. “He already has. He left me on a planet on the other side of the galaxy, just like my family. They never came back.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he can’t take his eyes off the cup, it’s the first time he’s seen the Force so trivially used, “But that won’t happen this time. No matter what happens, you won’t be left alone.”

She’s not entirely convinced, but there seems to be little point arguing over it. It’s not going to change anything now. “Why did he send me here? Because he knows he can trust you?”

“Partly. You’re certainly safe from the First Order here. Maybe Luke also thought you’d find some peace here with the tree.”

 _What?_ “The tree?”

“Well, not just any tree. It’s a Force sensitive tree. One of the missions Luke and Shara went on was to find this tree, and when they found it he gave her a cutting, told her that here would be a good place for it. It’s barely a stone’s throw away from where we’re sitting right now.”

Now it starts to make a little more sense. “Do you mind if I go take a look at this tree? I promise I won’t run away.”

He laughs at that, and Rey is a little bit startled by just how like his son he is. “By all means…”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not entirely sure of this chapter but it just felt like something I need to do. The really annoying thing about writing is that characters take on a life of their own and naturally gravitate in a certain direction and it's very hard to stop them! But I think I like that direction... ;)  
> This was written before I saw Last Jedi so my opinion might change after!
> 
> Edit: just came out of the movie and am terribly confused by everything but this will continue as I had planned regardless. Long live Reyluke!

The tree is somehow both larger and smaller than Rey expects. To the naked eye, there is nothing outwardly remarkable about it, especially where it stands amongst the countless other trees. But Rey instantly knows there’s something different about this one, something special. It seems to almost pulsate with life and, as she approaches, her eyes shut, the feeling of the Force running through her almost overwhelming. Where she had been hurt and angry before, she now feels an undeniable sense of serenity, so much so that she can’t help but move closer and closer, her feet carrying her almost without permission.

Suddenly, it’s abundantly clear why Luke chose to send her to Yavin of all the places in the Galaxy and Rey sinks onto the ground, ignoring the fact that it’s damp. The peace she feels makes it more than worth it, peace she cannot remember ever feeling. Remarkably, the child in her womb seems to like it too, all doubt as to whether it would be like her and its father vanishing and, although it’s too early to feel its movements, Rey can still _feel_ it.

_Luke…_

She tries to reach out, despite knowing it’s absolutely no use. And even if she could somehow reach him, she wouldn’t want to distract him from whatever he is doing, knowing that in the wrong circumstances a brief lapse of concentration could cost him his life. At the thought of what might be going on elsewhere, Rey lets out a little sigh, slumping against the thick trunk of the tree. The rest of the Galaxy could be burning and she would be none the wiser.

Actually, no. That’s not true. Rey may not be able to reach him, but here she can easily feel him and her feelings are telling her that he’s okay; that, thus far, he’s alive and uninjured. It’s not enough. She should be there by his side, fighting with him… But she can’t, and so she lets her head fall back against the bark, eyes still firmly shut, letting the energy consume her. Breathing steady and regular, her hands come to rest on her small bump…

When her eyes open, she’s somewhere she doesn’t recognise. The room is large and sparsely furnished but still looks as if it cost a substantial amount to decorate. In the centre, a beautiful woman sits on a couch, one foot tucked beneath her as she absentmindedly twirls a lock of her deep mahogany hair. Rey stands off to the side of the room, silently observing and unmoving as she tries to figure out what’s happening. It certainly wasn’t a place that she’d had the pleasure of seeing in her lifetime, unless her memory truly was defective, and it certainly didn’t match the jungle-like terrain of Yavin 4.

It’s not until the soft whimper of a child sounds that Rey even realises that there’s a crib nearby, the woman smiling softly as she reaches in and lifts a tiny baby out, no more than a couple of weeks old. The child continues to cry until his mother presses him against her chest, bouncing him softly as she coos. “Shhh, it’s okay. Why is it you always demand more of my attention than your sister?” The smile that lights up her face is so pure and kind that it startles Rey. She’s not sure that she’s ever seen anyone that motherly, save maybe for General Organa…

That’s when it hits her- the woman bears a striking resemblance to Leia, brown eyes and dark hair, and it all begins to make sense. Her suspicions are confirmed when the little boy tugs on her hair and she laughs and admonishes him with a half-hearted ‘Luke’.

 _This woman is Luke’s mother_.

That fact makes her breath catch, and Rey instinctively reaches out for the wall to steady herself. It doesn’t make sense; Luke told her that his mother died in childbirth, that’s why his father turned to the Dark Side. The woman in front of her is very much alive, and very much in love with her children.

“Excuse me?” Taking a step forward, Rey is completely unsurprised when the woman doesn’t react to her and instead places a kiss atop her son’s delicate head, taking a moment to breathe in his scent.

The sound of a door sliding open comes from her left, and Rey turns to see a man entire the room and, although it’s nowhere near as remarkable as the woman’s, his smile at the sight makes Rey ache for something she’s never had. Or maybe can’t remember having, though at this stage she’s not sure there’s much a difference.

“Anakin, you did tell Obi Wan that he’s more than welcome to stay, didn’t you?”

“Of course I did. He said he’s got business back on Coruscant that needs tending to. Which I’m happy about because it means I get you all to myself.”

Although she rolls her eyes, her smile is undeniable. “I’m afraid you won’t get me all to yourself for a long, long time. Is there any word of Palpatine?”

The man’s face darkens as he sits and, with the scar and the familiar resemblance, Rey can’t help but think of Kylo and her stomach twists in disgust; this is the man he worships. But Ben Solo never knew this man; all he knows is Darth Vader and for the life of her she can’t equate the doting father sitting in front of her with the Sith Lord he became.

“Master Yoda is still pursuing him. The Council believes that he may have fled to one of the Outer Rim planets so that’s where they will begin their search. I-“ Anakin closes his mouth once again, looking pained as he shakes his head. “Padmé, I should have noticed something was going on sooner. I was naïve, I allowed him to fool me into believing he was something he’s not.”

Smiling sadly, Padmé lifts Luke off her chest and places him in his father’s arms. “Anakin, you realised what he was before it was too late. The Council wouldn’t have known if it weren’t for you.”

“But what if I hadn’t? What if- what if I had believed him? What would have happened then? How many would have died at his hand?”

“ _Rey_.”

Before she can hear Padmé’s answer, her eyes flutter open and suddenly she’s somewhere completely different. The sun has already began to set, the dim light barely getting through the mass of trees, and Kes Dameron is crouched in front of her, looking a lot more concerned than when he’d last seen her. “Rey? You’ve been out here for quite a while. I decided to come check on you when it started to get dark. Are you all right?”

It’s completely disorientating, being one place one minute and a completely different one the next. Brow furrowing in confusion, Rey lets her eyes close once more as she nods, willing her breathing to return to normal. “I’m fine. I- I must have fallen asleep.”

He gives her a half-smile that reminds her so much of Poe. “I was worried you might have run away on me. I’m glad you’re still here- I would have hated to have to tell Luke Skywalker that I lost you. Luke’s a pretty forgiving guy if I remember correctly but I don’t know if he’d be able to forgive that. Anyway,” holding out a hand, he helps her back up onto her feet, “I prepared some dinner. I know you must be starving.”

“Thanks, I am,” Rey replies, though her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes, and follows the man back along the trail to the house. What that… dream (vision?) was all about she did not know but one thing she does know for sure…

For the first time since leaving base that morning Rey is afraid to see Luke.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the amazing response to the last chapter! It was incredible ♥ Because of that, I have a new chapter for you ;) 
> 
> Happy Christmas to everyone except Rian Johnson and Kylo Ren.
> 
> Just kidding! 
> 
> ...kinda...

“How are you feeling?” Kes asks while they’re eating, some amazing dish that Rey is sure is the best thing she’s ever tasted in her entire life, gesturing towards her abdomen when her brow furrows in confusion, “Shara was quite sick when she was pregnant with Poe, ended up on bed rest for a good part of it.”

“Oh. I’ve been fine for the most part, just a little bit of sickness. My training isn’t complete so I can’t really afford to be off my feet for too long. You never know- well, when something like this is going to happen. Although it’s of _such_ a help now…”

“My son says that it’s been going well. When he has time to comm me, of course. I’ll never forget him calling and filling me in on everything that happened; another Jedi… now that is something really special, isn’t it? And, well, I guess there will be _three_ now. The tide seems to be turning.”

Her heart begins to thud hard at that last bit, something tightening in the pit of her stomach. Rey understands why he might feel like that but to her, to the Resistance, it still feels so critical that no one would ever dream of saying such a thing. As she’s sure Kes knows only too well, the battle is not won until it’s won. “I hope this war will be long over by the time my child is old enough to play a part.”

For the first time since she’s met him, his expression darkens. “I used to think the same thing. You never know. All you can do is enjoy your time with them.”

“What was it like? Going off to fight and knowing Shara was doing the same?”

“A bit like what you're feeling now, I imagine,” he smiles, chuckling when her cheeks flush, “You just have to learn to live with it and, like I said, make every moment count. Though I'm sure I'm not the first to say that.”

No, not at all.

 

*

She hears the door creak open before her senses catch up, reaching out to grab the saber by her bedside and lighting it up before the person could even get near her. The last thing she's expecting to see in the blue glow of the room is an amused looking Luke Skywalker.

“I expected this would be the greeting I got.”

Jaw falling open, she searches for something clever to say and fails, too overwhelmed by the conflicting feelings of relief and outrage. Her chest still heaves slightly as she stares at him, taking in the fact that he appears to be completely uninjured. “You deserve it.”

“I know,” at least he has the decency to look ashamed, “I'm sorry.”

She knows she should challenge him on that but it will have to wait. There are much bigger things on her mind. “The- others? What happened? Did it go okay? Did you see… him?”

Gesturing to the edge of the bed, he sits when she permits him, smiling to reassure her when he feels the jolt of panic that runs through her. “There were some losses but, importantly, they made as much ground as we did: very little. Finn’s fine, as is Poe. Having him in reserve with the Falcon was crucial when it came down to it, he was the breath of fresh air we needed. I saw Ben briefly, but he seemed to be more preoccupied with finding you. Only turned back at me when he was certain you weren’t there. As you can imagine, he wasn’t pleased.”

Her brow furrows, something not seeming right. “So he just let you go? Luke, he hates you…”

“I may have a quarter of a century on him but I’m still a better pilot than he could ever hope to be,” Luke chuckles, relief flooding through him when she laughs too. He’d expected to be met by, at best, stony silence and, at worst, physical violence so to hear her laugh is more than he could have hoped for. It’s even better when she tells him it’s true. “They were deprived of the element of surprise that they seemed to think they would have. I damaged his ship but didn’t get much farther than that. We were ordered to fall back to avoid heavy losses so taking out a fair amount of their weapons had to be the best outcome this time.”

“And you’re okay?”

Reaching out, he raises an eyebrow, ensuring it’s all right before taking her hand. She gives him permission. “Rey, I’m fine. Frustrated that the plan didn’t exactly work but we learn from it. At this point falling back was a better alternative to going on a kamikaze mission, I know that.”

Nodding as she takes that in, silence falls over them as neither knows what to say next. Or rather, there’s lots of things Rey would like to say but the timing seems a little bit inappropriate, seeing as she didn’t even know if he would ever come back to her. Now that he’s here and safe, there’s only one thing she wants to do…

“Oh for kriff's sake…” moving as quickly as she can, Rey all but flings herself into his arms, her mouth finding his in a kiss that is the furthest thing from gentle imaginable. He kisses her with equal force, arms winding around her back and pulling her flush against him. Well, as flush against him as possible with their baby between them. Already, the tension is beginning to build in the pit of her stomach and she lets out a little whimper, so starved of his presence and touch that all she wants is too be close to him. Way past trying to deny that she needs him, just as she needs oxygen to breathe, Rey knows that her resolution to remain angry at him is a lost cause. But that doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t get a stern talking to…

Before she can think better of it, Rey pushes him away. Just enough that her head is clear to think. “You know we need to talk about this.”

“I know.”

“No, Luke. We _really_ need to talk.” Despite her words, she pulls him closer again, rolling her eyes when he jokingly says ‘you're not pregnant, are you?’ “Tomorrow, let's talk tomorrow…”

 

*

“Luke.”

“Kes.”

The two men shake hands, smiles wide as they reunite for the first time in Force knows how many years. Whistling, the former pathfinder chuckles. “You've gotten old.”

Luke arches an eyebrow at that, looking his friend up and down. “I could say the same of you. Apologies for breaking into your house in the middle of the night.”

“I guess I should just be thankful that Rey decided against spilling any blood. Looks like you got away lightly again, Skywalker. I confess myself a little disappointed”

“Oh, he hasn't gotten away with it just yet, I promise you that,” she half-glares at the older Jedi, “Thank you for your hospitality, it was a pleasure to meet the person that many speak so highly of. Though I wish it were under better circumstances…”

“You and I both. Hopefully the next time we meet it will be. Take care, Rey. Of both you and your little one. And don't murder this one,” he claps a hand on Luke's shoulder, the height difference between the two negligible, “he may be annoying but he's kinda important. Or so they say…”

Luke scoffs. “I'm beginning to think sending her here was a bad idea.”

“Woah… wouldn't mention the war if I were you, buddy. You're still in the Tooka house. Take care of her, Luke. You know Shara would have loved to have been around to have seen this.”

The mention of his former friend makes something in his stomach twist and he smiles sadly, glancing at the woman by his side. “I can imagine what she would say.”

“Yeah buddy, me too. Me too.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are actually the best! ♥

Looking around as Luke starts up the engines, Rey’s brow furrows. She’s not surprised to find that he didn’t come on the Falcon, with Poe probably still in possession, but this? This is not what she was expecting at all. “Where did you even get this piece of junk?”

For some reason, unbeknownst to her, Luke grins and shakes his head at that. “I’m sorry it’s not a luxury star cruiser but we had to do the best with what we had. Plus, I figured that this one might more easily fly under the radar. No one is going to bother tracking a single ‘piece of junk’. Can you grab-“

Before the request even fully leaves his mouth, she hits the button in question, thrusters coming to life as the ship (if it can be called that) begins to hover. “I got it. Ready?”

“Ready. Let’s get out of here.” It doesn’t take long to leave the greenery of Yavin behind them, swapping it for the black vastness of space. Unsurprisingly, it appears that Luke is right; their scrappy little ship fits right in with those leaving and entering the planet’s atmosphere, nothing distinguishing them from any of the other crafts. He flies it, however, as if it _were_ a luxury star cruiser and not for the first time Rey finds herself envious of his piloting skills, though her own are far from shabby.

Although not much is said between them, it’s comfortable, though the further into space they get the more Luke can sense her unease, feel that she’s just that little bit closed off from him. Despite his understanding, he doesn’t like it and decides that it’s probably a good time to broach the subject that they’ve been so pointedly avoiding since he’d shown up out of the blue in the middle of the night.

“You can shout if you want.”

“What?” her head turns at that same time that her brow furrows in confusion.

“You can shout if you want; if it will make you feel better. Leia was always a shouter…”

Lips forming a delicate ‘o’, she realises just what he’s saying. It makes sense; Rey had warned him that last night wouldn’t be the last he heard of the whole debacle, it’s reasonable that he would be expecting that some kind of confrontation is imminent. “I don’t want to shout. Well, I already _did_ so you should thank Poe for bearing the brunt of my anger.”

“I’m sorry,” he repeats and she doesn’t doubt for one second that he means it, seeing the remorse that is so clear in his eyes, “You have every right to be angry. But you have to know that it was imperative that we keep you away from him. If he were to find out that you’re pregnant at this stage then it would put the entire Resistance at risk. We’re not ready for that.”

“But you don’t get _why_ I was- I _am_ \- angry. It’s not because you kept me away from the fight, from Kylo. It’s because you lied about it. Do you not think that if you and General Organa had explained your plan I might have willingly went along with it instead of telling Poe to kidnap me?” Now turned directly towards him, she arches an eyebrow, pleased to see that he’s not contesting that, “I’m not so stubborn that I would have insisted on putting the Resistance in danger, all because what? I wanted to fight Ren myself? Or I wanted to be with you? If that monster died, do you think I would be upset that I wasn’t the one to do it? We’re all on the same side here, Luke. A rebellion doesn’t cater for selfish whims or egos.”

There's not much he can say to that, she's right after all. Every word of what she said is completely true. “You're right, it was the wrong way to go about it. We made a mistake.”

“From now on I hope that you will just _trust me_. We need to trust each other, Luke. That's the only way this is going to work.”

 _I do trust you,_ he longs to insist, frustrated that he can't. _I trust you so completely that I can't remember a time when I didn't._ Reaching out for her hand, he's relieved when she allows him to take it. Her eyes flick from the floor to the windscreen and back before she looks him in the eye once again. “I'm sorry that you felt that I didn't trust you. I promise it won't happen again.”

“I felt completely helpless and so cut off. The whole Resistance could have been destroyed and I wouldn't have had a clue.”

“You could still sense me though, couldn't you?” He looks worried, his brows knitted together, a tiny crease between them.

“Yeah, I could sense you. It wasn't enough, though. Could you sense my anger?”

He can't help but chuckle at that. “I felt something and I knew you weren't happy. But then it faded a bit…”

Nodding, she merely lets go of his hand and turns back to face straight ahead, adjusting one of two of the dials strictly out of force of habit. Rey can still feel his eyes on her, gaze more intense than, but tries her best to ignore it.

Something else is wrong, Luke concludes, feeling the tension emanating from her, much worse than before. Whatever it is, it's much more than anger, than a lovers' quarrel, and though he questions whether he wants to know what it is, he knows he must ask. “Rey…”

“Why did you send me to Yavin? Of all places?”

“Well, Kes is one of our last true allies. I knew you would be safe with him. But I also thought it would be a good environment for you. We were based there when we blew up the first Death Star, and then there's-"

“The tree.”

There's something in the way she says those words that makes his blood run cold. Placing a hand firmly on her arm, he forces her to look at him. “Rey, what happened?” He sees the conflict, the apprehension in her hazel eyes and wonders if sending her there maybe was a mistake after all.

“I'm afraid.”

“Rey. Tell me what happened. Why are you afraid?”

“Do you…” she bites her lip, “do you remember when you told me about your father?”

“My father?” Puzzled, he frowns, unable to see what relation the situation bears to Anakin Skywalker.

“His visions…”

 _No. No, he refused to believe it._ “You had visions?” A feeble nod is all he gets. “What did you see, Rey? You need to tell me.” For a moment, Luke feels helpless. If Rey tells him that she’s foreseen her death, or even his, he doesn't know how to deal with that. They're the last of the Jedi, he has no one to consult on the matter.

“It wasn't anything to do with me. At least I don't think it was… It was your mother and father, but it doesn't make any sense.”

Of all the things she could have seen, he would put that on that top of the ‘least likely' list. Why she would see _his_ parents he has absolutely no idea, and any reasons he can think of only ask more questions than they answer. “My parents?” he half-whispered, completely floored.

Nodding, her stomach sinks even further when she sees how pale he's become. She longs to reach out and seek reassurance from him, but it appears that- for once- he's not in a position to give her any comfort. “First it was just your mother. Padmé. She was alone with you and Leia, which doesn’t make any sense because she died giving birth to you, didn't she?” She receives the faintest of nods. “You were crying, your mother picked you up and you stopped immediately. Apparently you always wanted to be near her…” Despite herself, Rey can't help but smile. “Then your father came, and he spoke of Obi Wan.”

“Ben?”

“Yes, he had been to visit. They spoke of Palpatine, he was on the run after being exposed by your father. Like I said, it doesn't make sense because-"

“None of it happened.”

“Exactly. Luke, what does this mean?”

Short answer? He doesn't know, but he can hazard a guess. “I'm not entirely sure. It's not the past but it's not the future either… The only thing I can think of at the moment is that it's showing how different things could have gone if my father hadn't been consumed by his obsession with saving my mother, if he hadn't given in to Palpatine and just asked for help instead. I would guess that that is the aim, to remind us not to make the mistakes of the past.”

“So you don't think it is something to worry about?” Already, Rey feels lighter, her ability to breathe normally slowly returning to her.

“I wouldn't say so,” he hopes at least, “but, Rey, you must tell me immediately if you see anything else.”

Nodding, she reaches out for his hand, grasping it tight. “I will, I promise. Luke, I was so worried-"

“I know. I imagine after what I told you it was quite frightening. But everyone seems to insist that I'm not my father, so I must trust in that. It's not wise to get caught up in things that may or may not happen.” Frowning, he can't help but wonder why she's suddenly smiling so fondly. There's… something he can't quite put his finger on that seems to be radiating from her, so pure and it good that it warms him, chasing out all doubt that something may not be right. “Rey?”

“You're not your father, Luke. You've got your mother's heart.”

It leaves him feeling envious, that he never got a chance to meet his mother while Rey, who related to Padmé Amidala only through Luke himself, got to see a vision of his mother. A version that never existed, but a version nonetheless. Sensing this, the young Jedi tries to project as much of the warmth she felt simply by standing in the former Queen's presence to him. “Was she as beautiful as they say?”

“She was, so beautiful. But also incredibly kind. Leia may look very like her mother but she's you, Luke. She's you.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suddenly had an idea about what Luke and Rey might get up to next but I'm not too sure... How would you guys feel about bringing back another OT character? ;)  
> As always, thank you so much! I still cannot believe that so many actually like this story! I was fairly sure when I started that it would be a complete miss.

“Skywalker.”

They’ve barely stepped down from the ship when Luke’s name is called, in a way that is decidedly _unfriendly_ , and, shocked by the sharpness, Rey is even more surprised to look up and see Finn, striding towards them with a look of sheer determination on his face. Instinctively, she stiffens and takes a step closer to Luke, effectively putting an obstacle between the two men.

“Finn-“

“You’ve got a lot of nerve…” Jogging after his boyfriend, Poe places a hand on Finn’s shoulder in an attempt to make him back down, but quickly finds it shrugged off, fixed with a glare of his own for his troubles.

 “Finn! What on earth is the matter with you?”

“My problem is with him, Rey, not you.”

“I don’t care. If you have a problem with him, you have a problem with me.” Glancing around, her cheeks begin to burn as she notices that there’s quite a few spectators, Poe and General Organa in their midst. Trying her best to make it seem as if it doesn’t bother her that half the base is gawking at her defending her… _Luke_ like some well-trained wife, she remains resolute. “I don’t know what could have happened but we can talk about this like adults-“

“How can you defend him? He lied to you. He had Poe _kidnap_ you.”

And suddenly the penny drops. “Finn… It’s nice that you want to defend me, but it’s not needed. Poe didn’t kidnap me, I willingly went with him. He didn’t hold me against my will, I could have left if I really wanted to. But I understood where they were coming from in wanting me to stay away, even if they had a backwards way of doing it,” she glares at Luke once again, just to make sure he really gets it, “It’s already been discussed, and it won’t be happening again but thank you anyway.”

Although he no longer looks like he wants to physically harm Luke, Finn’s expression remains hard, lips still pursed. “I didn’t know anything about it. If I had known I would never have let them do that to you.”

“Yeah,” Poe pipes up in the background, looking like a scolded puppy, “That’s why we didn’t tell you!”

“Be quiet, Dameron. You’re still in my bad books.”

Despite his obvious sincerity, Rey can’t help but laugh, which clearly offends him. “Sorry, it’s really sweet of you to stand up for me like that but I can fight my own battles, Finn. I haven’t suddenly become helpless because I’m carrying a baby. Remember on Jakku? When I told you to stop holding my hand?”

Smiling at the memory, though it wasn’t so much fun as it was happening, he relaxes slightly. It’s true, even in her current condition he knows that Rey would be more than capable of holding her own against Skywalker but that doesn’t mean that he likes the way she’s been treated. “Yeah, I remember. Doesn’t mean I’m not still pissed at you, Skywalker. I don’t care how many Death Stars you’ve blown up, disrespect my friend and you’re going to have me to deal with.”

“Don’t worry,” speaking for the first time in the exchange, Luke places a hand on Rey’s shoulder, corners of his mouth tugging upwards when she instinctively alters her position so that she’s leaning against him, “I realise my mistake. It’s not going to happen again.”

“Yeah, it better not.”

Before any more can be said, Poe silently places a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder, cocking his head in the direction of the mess, and although Finn fixes him with another glare, albeit less intense this time, he allows himself to be led nevertheless.

“Rey,” General Organa steps up to take his place, looking mildly puzzled.

“General.”

“I was wondering if I could have a word with you. In private,” though she's clearly speaking to the young Jedi, her eyes linger on her brother, who in turn averts his gaze.

It's bizarre. Everything that's happened since she’s stepped foot back on base is bizarre, and Rey can't help but feel that she's missing out on something. Again. “Of course.” Without a word, Luke lets her go, doing little to convince her that everything is fine. Anger begins to flare inside her once again, some irrational little thing that telling her that, despite the progress Rey thought they made on the journey home, little has changed. “Of course...”

*

“I just wanted to apologise for what happened. I'm sure by now you understand why it was necessary. If... if _Ben_ were to find out that you're carrying a child, his _uncle's_ no less, the consequences could be catastrophic for us all.” The door to the General’s office has barely closed behind them when Leia turns to face Rey, offering her a seat that is immediately declined.

Rey appreciates the apology, though she's not sure she could hold a grudge against the general anyway, never mind in the circumstances. “I do understand. But you needn’t apologise, I'm sure you had as much say in it as I did.”

Her words make the older woman stop, and Leia cocks her head as she observes the young woman in front of her with something akin to bewilderment. “What has he told you?”

For some reason, Rey has a bad feeling about this, unable to even begin to imagine what else she might be missing out on.  “Pretty much what you just said- that it was safer for everyone that I stay as far away as possible. And that he should have told me.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Leia half-whispers to herself, fond smile replacing her frown, “Rey, Luke never wanted to send you away.”

What? For a moment Rey stares at the General, mouth opening and closing several times as she tries to come up with a way to appropriately voice her complete and utter disbelief. “But…”

“There’s this wonderful thing about my brother that maybe you don’t already know, or maybe you don’t recognise. He takes care of his family, and that means protecting them in any way possible. It was my idea, Luke didn’t agree, but I’m not at all surprised that he let you believe that it was his.”

To say Rey’s downright _flummoxed_ is an understatement, feeling slightly off balance as she continues to observe the other woman, waiting for Leia to laugh and say she’s joking. She doesn’t. “But why would he do that? Did he not know that I would be angrier if I thought he’d just brushed me aside than if I knew it was you that came up with the whole plan?”

“He did it- I assume- because he was sure that you would more readily forgive him than me.”

“That’s-“ Well, she doesn’t quite know exactly what _it_ is. On one hand, she wants to slap him for lying to her- _again_ \- but on the other… his protectiveness of his sister makes her feel warm inside, safe in the knowledge that he would, if it came down to it, probably do the same for her. It shouldn’t be as much of a surprise as it is; Luke Skywalker’s loyalty was the stuff of legend, to the Rebellion, to his friends, to his father…

Smiling softly, Leia nods. “Don’t be to hard on him. He may get it wrong sometimes, but his heart is always in the right place. Always.”

*

Rey knows where she’ll find him.

Once Leia allows her her leave, she heads for the spot that she’s come to know so well in the past couple of weeks, almost on autopilot as she mulls things over again and again. He risked bearing the full brunt of her anger, her frustration, just because he wanted to preserve Rey’s relationship with the General, and she suddenly feels terrible. She’d berated him for his lack of trust in her, and yet it turns out that it was _she_ who didn’t trust _him_ …

As expected, Luke is sitting in their usual spot, his back turned to her as she approaches. Though she knows he senses her coming, and probably feels the confusion inside her, he doesn’t move an inch. And so she goes to him, awkwardly sitting down beside him. Looking to her, concern etched on his face, he reaches out and places a hand on her arm to guide her down, her bump becoming more and more of a hindrance.

Quietly giving him her thanks, they sit there for a moment in silence, just taking comfort in the fact that they’re reunited again, that neither need worry about whether the other is okay or not. He reaches out for her hand, and she willingly gives it to him, their fingers tangling together just as they have done so many times before.

“You didn’t need to do that, you know. I wouldn’t have held it against Gen- _Leia_ \- anymore than I would have held it against you.”

“I know,” the softest of sighs escapes him, “I’m sorry. I did-“

“What you thought was best, I know. But I can handle the truth, Luke. Whatever it is. Just please, always tell me the truth, no matter how bad it is.”

Luke contemplates that for a moment, eventually turning to look at the young woman who had come hurtling into his life so violently that he still felt as if he was spinning. She’s so beautiful; he never thought he would ever meet anyone who would match his sister in that respect, but he’s happy to have been proven wrong. And with her belly round with his child…

“I love you so much sometimes it scares me.”

Rey knows that those words are meant to have a negative connotation, but she can’t help how her face lights up at that, his professions of love always filling her with a warmth that can keep her sustained for days. “It shouldn’t scare you. Love is something human beings are designed to feel, so how can we be chastised for doing what comes naturally to us? It’s not wrong, not at all. And we’re helping to preserve the future of the Jedi Order here, surely we deserve a little credit for that?”

Smile beginning to creep across his face, Luke shakes his head to himself, marvelling at how he could have lived out the rest of his life on Ahch-To without knowing her, but now that he does he can’t imagine being without her smile, her laughter, her youthful naivety. “What if it is time for the Jedi to end?”

“It’s not,” she says plainly, and somehow he believes her, “Fate wouldn’t have brought us together if it were. All this must mean something. It has to.”

Luke would be inclined to agree.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year! Hope you all have a wonderful 2018 ❤❤


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure about this one :/ I edited and edited but I'm still not happy. I guess it's really just a filler chapter and promise that the next will be better!

The door slides open just as Leia raises her hand to knock, revealing her brother perched on the edge of the bed, a rather unpleasant sound coming from the toilet. “Is she okay?” The sound is one that she recognises only too well, the retching echoing off the walls. Ah, to be young and pregnant again…

“She’s okay.”

“Speak for yourself, Skywalker,” Rey calls weakly between bouts of sickness, “I’m cursing the day I ever let you touch me.”

Luke blushes at that, unable to deny that her suffering is his fault. It is his child that is making her ill, after all. His sister, however, just laughs, undoubtedly having heard (and said it all before). “Just remember, Rey, you get to break his hand when you’re giving birth to that baby, which almost makes up for the misery. His good hand, that is,” she adds when he merely shrugs.

“What can we do for you?” It’s early, barely breakfast time, so Luke knows there must be a reason for his sister’s visit that doesn’t include checking up on Rey. He can feel the conflict in her and it makes him feel uneasy, still not completely used to uncertainly of life in the Resistance as compared to life on Ahch-To.

“I can come back in a while, when Rey is feeling better.”

He’s about to protest that that isn’t necessary, but his Padawan beats him to it, appearing in the doorway just after the toilet flushes. She looks the slightest bit pale, but other than that well enough. “No, it’s okay. What do you need?”

“I’m sorry to ask this of you but I’m afraid we have a mission for you. For both of you.”

Rey could almost jump for joy. A mission? That she’s to be involved in? She never thought she would see the day, as long as she remains pregnant anyway. “We’re in.”

“Never say yes until you know what’s involved, Rey,” he chuckles, completely unsurprised by her enthusiasm. “What’s the mission?”

Wry smile on her face, Leia folds her arms across her chest. She’s not sure how her brother will react to this one, it could just as easily go one way as the other. “The mission is Lando.”

“ _Lando_?”

“Lando?” Rey echoes, “That’s not a planet that I’m familiar with.”

“That’s because it’s not a planet, it’s a person.”

“ _Lando_?”

“Yes, Luke, Lando.”

It’s a name that Luke hasn’t heard for almost thirty years now, and now that he has it throws him for a loop, stirring up memories of times and people long forgotten. He’s not sure whether for better or for worse. Letting out a breath that he hadn’t even known he’d been holding, Luke shakes his head to himself. “How long have you been searching for him?”

“For quite a while now. He’s a hard man to pin down. But we received intel that he’s back on Bespin, for how long we have no idea, so we need to act quickly.”

“What if he has no interest in joining us?”

“That’s where you come in. Your job is to, effectively, remind him of the good old days. Now that Han isn’t here to do it.” It’s a cheap shot, Leia knows that, especially when she sees how her brother winces. But leading a resistance sometimes means saying things that one would rather not.

Rey’s curiosity eventually gets the better of her. “Who’s Lando?”

“Lando,” Luke turns to face her, “was a general in the days of the Rebellion. He sold Han and Leia out to Vader and nearly got us all killed.”

Meeting Rey’s confused gaze, the General can’t help but roll her eyes. Her brother always did have a flare for the dramatics. “He also saved our lives _and_ fought alongside us against the Empire, in case you’ve forgotten. We wouldn’t have stood a chance without him. If I remember correctly, you also almost got us all killed on an occasion or two yourself. Rey, we need you to go to Bespin and convince Lando to join us again, much like you did Luke.”

“Hopefully not in the same way…” he half-muttered, which was pointedly ignored by both women.

“We’ll do it.”

“Are you sure it’s safe? That it’s not a trap?”

“My people are certain that it’s not. But it’s best that you not make a spectacle of yourselves while you’re there. Just in and out, and then back here.”

Rubbing her hand absentmindedly over the swell of her stomach, Rey looks between the two siblings. It’s clearly not the most dangerous mission anyone has ever been sent on, but she can sense Luke’s hesitance, the suspicion that something is not quite right. “And if we don’t succeed? If he says no?”

“Then we’ll have done what we can. All I’m asking is that you try your best.”

And so they will.

 

No one knows how long this Lando will remain on Bespin so they leave immediately, without even getting a chance to say goodbye to Finn or tell him where she’s going. Rey does see BB-8 though, and gives it a message for her friend, although she knows he will have to get someone else to translate it. As hard as he’s trying, Finn hasn’t quite mastered binary. It will have to do.

The ship they take is not the one they flew from Yavin, but it’s only the slightest bit better. She supposes that it’s for the best; the less chance of them being singled out the better. At least this one, Rey muses as she settles into the co-pilot’s seat, is a damn sight more comfortable than the last. It seems absurd; back on Jakku there was no such thing as comfort, at least not for an orphan scavenger girl. Even back on Ahch-To it was the same. Maybe, she supposes, that it’s because she grows uncomfortable so easily now that she’s pregnant, especially as the baby and her bump grows, that it’s become so important to her. At this point, just about halfway through, she’s beginning to feel more like a Hutt than a person.

Glancing over to his right, Luke sees her cradling her stomach, rubbing it tenderly and it makes him stop. It feels wrong, exposing her like this. If he had his way, she would be kept away on base until all this was over and her and the child were guaranteed to be safe. But it’s not what Rey wants, and, above all, he wants her to be happy. “Are you sure you want to go? I can go by myself if you don’t feel up to it.”

“Close the doors, Skywalker.”

He expected nothing else, but it was worth a try anyway. “Okay, okay. But you know I’m not going to stop worrying about you, right?” A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth, mirrored by her, “It doesn’t matter how capable you are, I still don’t like putting you in harm’s way.”

“I know. But we’re in a war, fighting with the Resistance; it’s not like the risk can get any greater than it already it is. And I’m going to go out of my mind if I have to stay holed up on base until I deliver the baby. We have to do this, so let’s just go and drag this Lando back here and then you can be happy that I’m safe again.”

Despite his reluctance, Luke goes through the motions, engines roaring to life as they begin their take-off. As much as is loath to admit it, he probably needs Rey for this one. If Lando has managed to keep himself hidden for that long then, speaking from experience, he doesn’t want to be found. The minute Luke shows up, if they even find him, he’s going to instantly know what Luke is going to say, what he’s come for. Rey is a wildcard, and a beautiful woman to boot, much like his sister back in the day. He only hopes that she, like Leia, will be able to convince him.

“Ready?”

“Always.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I tried and tried to get time to sit down and write this over the past couple of days but to no avail. This one is a bit longer and I'm happy with it so I hope you like!  
> Thank you all for your wonderful response to the last chapter ♥

“So, _who_ is this Lando?”

They’ve, thankfully, ditched the ship without attracting any unwanted attention, though Rey is finding it exceptionally hard to not look like she’s got something to hide. The last thing they need is to act suspiciously enough that they end up making themselves even more conspicuous than they already are, clearly outsiders. For the moment, they appear to just slip by under the radar. She hopes it will continue.

“Lando was a General the first time around- a reluctant one, like Han. Not surprising, I guess, since they were friends, and then not so much, long before Han and I ever crossed paths. Back when all I knew was Tattoine and the harvest. He helped us get Han back after he was taken by Jabba the Hutt, and was crucial to our success on Endor.”

“I thought you said he betrayed you?”

Luke almost smiles at that, giving a little shrug. “He redeemed himself after that. Helped Leia rescue me after I faced Vader the first time. And this happened…” he raised his right hand, “I imagine Leia has been trying to track him for a number of years now. He vanished, went back to his old ways I guess.”

“Yeah,” Rey can’t help but smirk, looking to the man by her side, “men seem to have a habit of doing that.”

Well, it’s not as if he can argue with that one. Lips twitching, Luke gives her a little nudge, trying not to grin like a fool in love when her face lights up with pride. They’re on a mission, after all, not on a romantic getaway. Although if one were to plan a romantic getaway, Cloud City certainly would be an option. Rey is in awe of the place, that much is clear, and Luke doesn’t blame her. Had his first trip there not been made with a sense of doom and had he not left with such painful memories, he might have been the same. He only hopes that this time their trip will be a lot less dramatic.

“How do we even know where to find him? He could be anywhere. He could be gone.”

True as that is, he has a bit of a clue where to start.

*

Rey tries not to fidget with the lightsaber that is now tucked beneath her tunic, instead of dangling from it’s usual spot on her belt. It’s not exactly the most comfortable but, with the Jedi supposedly extinct, it certainly wouldn’t do to walk around with them on show for the world to see, especially when it’s critical that they lay low. It turns out that Luke’s hunch as to where they’ll find Lando is what appears to be an enormous cantina, much like on Takodana, and though it’s mostly filled with men, her jaw drops at the number of scantily clad women. Looking down at the tunic that covers her pregnant stomach, she feels very underdressed. Or overdressed, as it were.

Unnecessarily loud music irritating her ears, she looks to Luke, who merely gives her a shrug and continues to lead the way. “I stick out like a sore thumb here!” Rey hisses, having to walk briskly to keep up with his pace. Although no one bothers her, eyes track her every movement and, if it weren’t for the fact that she’s clearly pregnant, she doubts whether she would get off so lightly.

“We won’t be lingering. And I sincerely doubt you wanted to dress up for the occasion.”

She wants to question if that is referring to her feelings on the matter or _his_ but decides to bite her tongue. “How are we going to find him here? Do you know how many people there?” As if to demonstrate her point, they have to sidestep around five people, and two creatures she’s never seen before.

Chuckling at that, Luke arches an eyebrow. “He’s Lando Calrissian, we’ll be able to spot him.” Not long later, he’s proven right when he senses a familiar presence, following his instincts and looking up to see a private room with glass panelling that overlooks the vast expanse of the cantina. He can just about make out the figure of his former friend, surrounded- unsurprisingly- by a small crowd of women. “There.”

Following his gaze, Rey looks up in disbelief, her frown deepening. “Security at the entrance… Who is this guy?”

“That’s just Lando. I suppose he wants to avoid any trouble. Or being disturbed…”

“Yeah, well that’s just too bad now, isn’t it? What do we do now?”

Mouth twitching, he eyes the elevator a couple of feet away from them. “We go up and do what we came here to do.”

Come again? “We’re just going to walk up there and ask them to let us in?”

“No,” cocking his head, he observes her curiously, “We’re going to _tell_ them…”

 

Luke makes the whole mind control thing look a lot easier than she probably did the last time she used it on Starkiller base.

The guards, menacing as they are with only three good eyes and seven fingers between them, are quick to tell them that this is private room, requesting that they move along elsewhere. One command from Luke, however, has them moving out of the way, almost rolling out the welcome wagon as they permit them entry.

It’s much quieter inside, Rey is relieved to find, but her heart begins to jump when she realises just how small the room is, so small that all eyes are instantly on them. The man, who Rey assumes to be the famous Lando Calrissian, looks up in a mixture of confusion and annoyance from where he’s holding court with a number of beautiful women.

“Excuse me, this is a private room-“

“Good to see that some things never change.”

It’s only when Luke speaks that Lando really takes a good look at the two gate crashers, jawing instantly dropping open in disbelief as the hint of fear in his expression vanishes. “Is that really you?” It almost looks like he’s seen a ghost which, given how long it has been since the two men last saw each other, is probably understandable.

When Luke confirms that it is, silence befalls the room momentarily, the only sound the distant throbbing of music. Lando comes to his sense quickly enough, requesting that his previous company leave in a surprisingly even voice. When they seem reluctant to do so, eyeing the newcomers warily, he barks the order again and that certainly gets their attention, quickly leaving the room a whole lot emptier. Finally standing, he slowly approaches the two Jedi.

“What creature was in the pit when we rescued Han on Tattoine?”

“A sarlaac,” Luke smiles at the memory, practically a lifetime ago now, “which almost had you for dinner, if I remember correctly.”

“Nearly had us all,” the older man corrects, grin suddenly splitting his face as he roughly embraces his old friend, “Good to see you again, Luke. I’m sure I’m not the first to tell you this but you’ve gotten old.”

“No, you’re not. But I take comfort in the fact that you’ll always be older than me. It’s been a stressful couple of years.”

Smile darkening slightly, he gives a serious nod, before his eyes fall on Rey. “I’m sure it has. Why, hello there. Who might you be?”

Remaining wary, her eyes narrow. “I’m Rey.”

“Rey is my-“ _lover, student,_ _the mother of my child…_ “apprentice.”

“Apprentice?” eyes lowering to the swell of her stomach, he smirks, “You don’t say.”  

“Unfortunately, we don’t have time for small talk. General Organa sent us-“

“General? Things must have changed. She was always a princess to me.”

“You’re right, things have changed.”

“Look,” holding up his hands, Lando shakes his head, “I know why you’re here and I’m sorry but I don’t want to get dragged into all this again. Once in a lifetime is enough for anyone. Han is smart enough to stay out of it all and I plan on doing the same. Hell, from what he told me I thought you were too.”

“I was. But then Rey met Han and it led her to me. It was time. This threat isn’t going to go away. We did it once, we can’t just brush it off now because we’ve had enough for one lifetime. It’s bigger than just us and you know it.”

“Sorry, kid. It’s a noble cause and I appreciate you coming all the way out here to find me but I was lucky to make it out with my life the first time. My answer is no.”

“Han’s dead.”

Rey speaks before he even has a chance to get a word in and Luke looks to the woman by his side in disbelief. She seems unfazed, determined, but it still affects her. He can feel it, the grief, the regret.

“I saw that monster kill him with my own two eyes. Han was your friend, you did the right thing and saved him all those years ago. You have the skills, the experience to help us take the First Order down- we need you. Please,” she implores, “help us. Help us give Han’s killer what he really deserves and save the galaxy in the process.”

The man seems to deflate in front of them, all bravado leaving him as he curses and shakes his head to himself. Luke can relate. The feeling when Rey broke the news of his good friend’s death to him, at the hands of his nephew no less, was almost unbearable. The only person in the world at that time who Luke cared for more than Han was his sister. “He’s really gone?”

“Unfortunately, yes. His last act was to take out a weapon a hundred times the size of the Death Star.”

“Yeah,” the other man scoffs, wiping a solitary tear from his cheek, “sounds like him all right. Your base, where is it?”

“We can’t tell you. But we can show you.”

“And your sister? How’s she holding up?”

“You know Leia, the cause is always more important.”

Yeah, he certainly does. “Look, stay the night. Let me think all of this over and I’ll have an answer for you in the morning.”

“We can’t,” Luke is resolute and, even if Rey might consider it, he certainly wouldn’t. “It’s too risky. We’ve come to see if we can persuade you to join us but, either way, we’re leaving immediately.”

“Give it to me straight, Luke. What are our chances here?”

That is not one that is easily answered. Mainly because Luke doesn’t have a clue, much like he hadn’t the last time either. The only thing he does have is hope. “They’re as good as they were before. But we need the numbers, the support. Kylo Ren is conflicted, Rey saw it herself. He still feels the pull to the light and, with any luck, we can manipulate that. Long enough to do what we need to do anyway.”

Whistling, Lando’s smirk returns, if only temporarily. “Those Skywalker genes aren’t so hot, are they?”

Rey, for one, is completely offended by that, glaring at him to make her displeasure known. Luke, on the other hand, actually laughs, knowing that he was far from wrong. “You stood with us before. None of us wanted to be in this position again but here we are.”

Running a hand through his hair, Lando sighs, and Rey can sense that his resolve is weakening by the minute. “Fighting the good fight, as always. We’re not young anymore, Luke. I’m not the fighter I used to be.”

“Nor am I. Nor is Leia. But we’re not alone. We’ve got some valuable people who would give anything for the cause. I think you might be surprised.”

Acting as if he hadn’t heard a word of that, Lando turns and walks over to the glass panel, gazing out over the vast expanse of Cloud City’s most famous cantina. A place where he’d spent many a good night, and morning, in years past. No matter how he tries to deny it, it just isn’t the same anymore. He’s been living like this for years now, without even an ounce of guilt. And yet…

“Damn you, Luke. Damn you.”


	17. Chapter 17

“Do I have time to grab some stuff?”

Rey says ‘yes’ at the same time that Luke says ‘no’, but one harsh look from his apprentice has him acquiescing, albeit reluctantly. “ _Fine_. But quick as you can and I swear if you double cross us again-“

“Luke, after all we’ve been through do you really think I would do that? It may have been years but you’re still like a brother to me.”

He knows; he definitely knows, but there’s something about sneaking around Cloud City that gives him a rather worrying sense of déjà vu. Still, Luke claps the other man on the back and instructs him to lead the way, making sure that Rey sticks close to his side. He doesn’t need to tell her to stay on guard, but old habits die hard and all that…

It doesn’t take Lando long to pack a bag, though it’s still longer than they would have liked. Rey, beginning to feel embarrassed about how in awe she is of every single planet they visit, looks around as if she’s in a dream and all these things aren’t right there in front of her. Feeling uncomfortable at the sheer affluence, Rey wonders as she ghosts her fingers over the sleek chrome entertainment system what it would have been like for Leia, growing up as a princess on Alderaan. She tries, unsuccessfully, to imagine herself as a princess. To be royalty means to have all the necessary airs and graces, something she undoubtedly desperately lacks. No, she doesn’t suppose she would like it anyway. Given the choice between being of royal birth and being a lowly scavenger (minus the hunger), she would pick the latter.

Coming back from the bedroom with a bag in hand, Luke watches with a tight smile as Lando picks up a single holoframe, one containing a picture of the five of them, Chewie and all, and observes it with reverence before carefully placing it with the rest of his belongings. “All right, I’m ready when you are.”

 

Lando insists on taking his own ship.

Arguments are thrown back and forth, for and against taking either ship, with Rey very much caught in the middle trying to find a solution that both could agree to. It proves to be a difficult and increasingly frustrating task.

“You were the one who wanted to get out of here quickly!”

“Quickly _and_ safely.”

“Safely? In _that_ pile of junk.”

Having had enough, Rey walks away, marching straight up to one of the ships in question. The door isn’t open, but that doesn’t prove to be much of a problem for her; a couple of crossed wires here and there and it opens with an inviting whoosh. Corner of her mouth twitching, she casts a wry glance back at the two bickering men, satisfied when they’re both watching her in shock as she makes herself inside. “Men,” she mutters to herself as she begins to scope the place out.

Needless to say, it’s not long before they get their heads out of their assess and deign to join her, so that _maybe_ they could get off this planet sometime in the foreseeable future. Sliding into the pilot’s seat, Rey couldn’t care less whether Lando is offended that he doesn’t get to fly his own ship, checking to make sure they’re both on board before closing the door again. Beating his friend to the spot, Luke occupies the co-pilot’s seat, much to Lando’s annoyance.

“You wanted a compromise, this is a compromise.”

Yeah, Lando argues, but that wasn’t exactly what he meant. But there’s no point getting worked up about it. Even if they did, all that is likely to come of it is Rey leaving them both behind. From where he’s sitting directly behind the two pilots, Lando’s lets his eyes rest on the brunette who seems to have taken charge of this whole operation. She's beautiful, of course, but not in the strikingly regal sense that the princess was, although she's far from lacking in confidence, it appears. And that confidence makes her all the more attractive in his eyes, save, of course, for the obvious problem. He’s just about to open his mouth to ask where in the galaxy she’s from when something catches his attention out of the corner of his eye. Supporting his weight on the backrests of the two seats, Lando leans forward between Luke and Rey, eyes narrowing as the landing deck gets smaller and smaller. “Wait a minute…”

No, he doesn’t like the sound of that. Brow furrowing, Luke eyes the other man warily. “What’s that supposed to mean? What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Lando finally decides, shaking his head to himself, “just a pretty face.”

It’s only then that the other two realise what he’s talking about, eyes narrowing in on the lone woman standing on the flight deck they’d just departed, exuding confidence with her arms folded across her chest.

“You have _got_ to be kidding me!”

“Just a pretty face? Do you know who’s also a pretty face? My sister! And she strangled Jabba the Hutt to death with a chain! I _knew_ we should have taken our ship. I knew it.” Pressing his hand against his face in frustration, Luke tries to think of any possible ways this might go wrong. He comes up with far too many for his liking. “We’re being tracked.”

“We are not being tracked, don’t be so dramatic.”

Cursing herself for being so stupid and not siding with her master, all Rey can do is grit her teeth and continue with take-off. “We can’t go back to the base, it’s too dangerous.”

“We’d lead the First Order right to our doorstep.”

Although he highlights the fact that they don’t know if it even is the First Order, Lando knows they’re right. They can’t jeopardise the entire Resistance by taking a stupid chance that could come back to bite them all in the ass. “What do we do now?”

The answer to that, apparently, is to swap ships. But doing so means making a very unscheduled trip to another planet, an idea that Luke is by no means enthused by, not least when they scan the map and determine the best viable option…

Tatooine.

“You know the place,” Lando offers, knowing how much his friend had come to despise his home planet, “It gives us a better chance than going blindly into unknown territory. Flying right past the base is a smart move, it will throw them of the scent completely.”

“I knew this was a mistake.”

Rey tries to resist the urge to roll her eyes. “Yeah, well we’re here now so there’s nothing we can do.”

“It was completely reckless to-“

Grimacing, she shoots him a rather unfriendly look. “Sounds like a conversation we’ve had before.”

God, she’s so infuriating sometimes. “Yes but that was in theory, this is _actually_ happening-“

Looking between his fellow passengers, not understanding why they were bickering like an old married couple, Lando’s curiosity (and sense of déjà vu) gets the better of him. Sure, a trip to another Outer Rim planet may not have been in their plan but their plan, back in the day, had very much involved flying by the seat of their pants. He couldn’t understand why things were so different this time, though his instincts told him that it was less about Luke and more about this mysterious girl.

“I think she’s right, Luke. We’re going to your home planet, which you haven’t been on in years. Sure, once we ditch the ship we’ll have to move quickly but I don’t think it’s as much of a disaster as it could be, all things considered.”

“The First Order have people everywhere, just like the Resistance does.”

“That may be true, but we’ve been in far worse situations before and managed to claw our way out. Besides, who would notice two old men and a knocked-up twenty-something? It’s not like she’s carrying the Chosen One or anything,” Lando says, laughing until he sees the loaded look that is exchanged between the other two. One single look, that makes his stomach plummet as if they suddenly lost altitude. “Who is she?” The question can no longer be avoided, observing the famous Jedi with reluctant curiosity. “She’s not- she’s not _yours_ is she?” Because if she is, if this Rey is the long-lost daughter of Luke Skywalker then that makes things a bit more complicated. Just a bit…

Cheeks turning a deep shade of red, the woman in question looks torn between being horrified and wanting to punch him in the face. “I am _not_ his daughter!” The words alone are enough to make her feel physically ill. His _daughter_. In any other circumstances, it would be pretty mortifying, but the fact that she’s currently quite pregnant with his baby makes her squirm. _Ew._

“She’s not mine, but that child she’s carrying is.”

That is certainly not at all what he’s expecting, to say the very least. In fact, Lando muses as his jaw practically hits the floor, of all the men in the galaxy, he would have thought Luke Skywalker, ever virtuous golden boy, _Luke Skywalker_ , to be the last to put a child in his apprentice’s belly. In fact, if it weren’t for the surrounding circumstances, Lando would almost be proud. But as it stands… “Great. Just… _great_. Absolutely fantastic.” He should have asked. Before he went anywhere with those two he should have asked and now he feels like an idiot for failing to do so. “So no one can find out she’s carrying Luke Skywalker’s child.”

“Actually, no one can find out she’s pregnant at all. Which is why this escapade is very much undesirable. Ben- _Kylo Ren_ \- wanted to be the one to do the honours.”

Lando is strongly considering hitching a ride back to Cloud City. “You have _got_ to be kidding me.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you would like to follow me on tumblr, my username is poepoeplease. I need more Luke/Rey love in my life.


End file.
